Hopes and Dreams
by Naruto1217
Summary: Sakura final realizes that she loves Naruto, but after he saves her life in a horrific battle with Pain, is it too late for him? The turth of the Kyuubi attack, what will this information entail for Team Kakashi? NaruSaku Sequel 2 One Last Breath
1. Chapter 1

Hurricane Chronicles Renewed

Disclaimer:

I do not own any of the characters from this story, they are owned by the creators of the hit Manga and Anime Series, Naruto.

Chapter 1 - Confession

Sakura knelt on the floor, paralyzed with fear as she saw Pain come closer with chakra flowing out of his right hand. She could feel the pain from the attack that had not yet hit her. As Pain's attack came down for the kill, Sakura heard a scream and a cough full of blood that wasn't her own.

There stood Naruto between her and the attack. Tears started to roll down her face as she began to realize what had happened.

"Naruto!," she screamed in horror.

"Naruto!!," screamed Sakura again as she awoke from her nightmare at 2:00am in a cold sweat and crying like mad. Her tears started to stain her silk red pajamas. Her heart pumping out of her chest uncontrollably as she hyperventilated. She began to use a Medical Jutsu to slow down her heart to keep herself from hyperventilating and regained control of her breathing.

It had been a day and a half since they had returned from their battle in the Hidden Rain Village and Naruto was still in critical condition. She couldn't stop shaking, couldn't stop thinking about what had happened, couldn't stop thinking about Naruto. Just then her door swung open.

"Sakura, what hells going on in here," shouted her roommate Ino. "Are you all right? What happened?"

She tried to stop herself from shaking. "I'm ok," she said. "I just had a nightmare."

"About what happened," said Ino.

Sakura nodded as tears started to well up in her eyes again. Ino sat next to her on the side of her bed, putting her hands on Sakura's shoulders.

"It's alright," she said trying to console her. "There was nothing you could have done except tried your best."

Sakura began to cry harder now. "But that's just it," she cried. "There was nothing that I could do! Nothing I did made any difference, and because of that Naruto maybe—"

"Don't you dare say that Sakura," shouted Ino. "What would Naruto say if he saw you acting like this? Do you think that he would just let you sit around and cry? No, he'd want you to pick yourself back up again. And I probably would have done the same thing you did if I was there."

Sakura started to calm herself. "Really," she said.

"Of course," said Ino. "It's not everyday you go up against the Akatsuki leader. I would have been terrified if he was about to kill me."

Sakura put on a fake smile. "Thank you Ino," she said. "I feel better now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm fine now."

As Ino left the room Sakura knew she was anything but fine. As the night slowly grew into morning, she began to feel worse.

Sakura wasn't able to go back to sleep as dawn broke. She got up and got dressed in her red vest and white skirt, still feeling some of the affects from her ordeal from the night before. She tried to eat breakfast, but she just couldn't. It was around 10:30 when she told Ino that she was going out for a walk.

As she walked down the dirt streets of the village, Sakura saw a couple walking out of a tea house. As she watched them kiss and hold each other, Sakura found herself not thinking about her and Sasuke, but her and Naruto. She started to think about how much her feelings had changed for him ever since he had returned to the village 4 months ago.

As she walked aimlessly, thinking to herself.

'Could it be,' she thought. 'Could it be that my feeling have change for him this much? Could it be that Sasuke-kun doesn't matter as much to me anymore? Could I really be in love with…'

Her thoughts ended as she narrowly avoided four kids that bolted past her. She looked to her left as she realized where her mind had taken her. Sakura entered the hospital to check in on Naruto's condition.

As she walked up to the front desk an uneasy feeling fell over Sakura. She had been in here so many times, but the only time she could remember having this feeling was when Naruto failed to bring Sasuke home three and a half years earlier.

"Good morning, " she said to the receptionist.

"How can I help you today?"

"I would like to check in on Naruto Uzumaki please."

"Uzumaki, Uzumaki, Uzu…maki… Ah yes here we go! He just came out of intensive care this morning, and he is accepting visitors. However he has not yet woken up, is that a problem miss?"

"No, it's not," Sakura said, a little relieved after hearing the news.

"You can see him, but as a precaution, I'm going to have to see your ID."

Sakura gave the man her ID. After a few moments the man gave it back to her.

"Ok, and you will need this to get past the ANBU Black Opts guarding his door."

"ANBU Black Opts," she said. "Why?"

"They were ordered by the Fifth Hokage herself, in case of an Akatsuki attack."

The receptionist gave her the rest of the directions and sent her to room 216. As she approached the room, the uneasy feel grew worse and worse in Sakura's stomach. She began to think, 'Would I be able to handle this? How can I face him after what had happened?' As she gave the ANBU Black Opts the note, they opened the door and Sakura knew there was no turning back.

There lay Naruto, motionless on the bed. His arms wrapped in bandages up to his knuckles. His head scratched up by the overflowing chakra from the attack. Sakura could only imagine the bandage underneath his shirt, covering the wound that hit deathly close to his heart.

As she sat down in the chair beside him, Sakura could feel her feelings start to well up inside her. At first she couldn't say a word, but after taking it all in, she began to speak.

"Naruto," she said. "I know I promised I wouldn't be a burden this time, and that we would save Sasuke together, but because of me, your in here fighting for your life." Tears started to well up in her eyes again. They began to run down her face as she thought about all the times he had saved her.

"You're the only man," she continued. "Whose ever cared about me so much. So much that…that you're willing to give your own life up for me within a blink of an eye." She began to cry harder now.

"I can't believe how bad I've treated you over the years…but now…now I want to try to make things right. That's why…" She paused, crying. "That's why you can't die because… because…" She couldn't force back this feeling any longer.

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!," she cried out. "I LOVE YOU…WITH ALL MY HEART!" Her face fell onto his stomach. "PLEASE DON'T DIE NARUTO-KUN! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!!"

As her tears soaked the hospital sheets, a choked up voice began to speak softly to her.

"You're…you're always…being made…to cry Sakura-chan…"

Sakura's head went up in shock. Her eyes widened up as the tears still rolled down her face. She turned her head slowly toward the pillow. She could see Naruto's eyes looking up at hers, fighting back his own tears of pain and happiness.

"But don't worry," he said, cracking the best smile he could.

"I can't die because…I'm too busy thinking…about you. And I think…about you…so much because…I love you too."

At that moment, Sakura's heart began to soar out of her chest. Her eyes couldn't stop crying as they squinted in happiness. A smile quickly flooded her face.

"NARUTO-KUN!," she cried, as her lips fell on top of his to kiss him. Their lips lock for what seemed like an eternity. As she put her arms around him, and his slowly around her, she knew in her heart that this was true, and this was where she needed to be.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Visitors

Chapter 2 – Visitors

Squinting his eyes and itching his face, Naruto awoke from a good nights sleep at 9:00am with the suns' rays flashing into his face. Last night was probably the best night of sleep he had in weeks, maybe in all four months since he had come back to the village. But if last night was the best night of sleep he had ever had, then having to wake up when the love of his life, the woman of his dreams, was telling him that she loved him with all her heart, must have been, with out a doubt, the best way to wake up (considering the circumstances).

Naruto still couldn't believe that she told him that she loved him. Questions raced through Naruto's mind. 'When did this happen? How long had she known? Was it all just a dream? How could she love me when she still was in love with Sasuke?' That's when it hit him. She didn't call Sasuke Sauske-kun, she just called him Sasuke, and she didn't call him just Naruto, she had called him Naruto-kun. Now Naruto's head was really spinning. Before he could figure out what the hell was going on, his door slowly opened

"Good morning Naruto," said Tsunade, coming into the room with a clipboard in hand. "You gave us all quite a scare there, especially Sakura."

Naruto's face lit up. "Then she was here yesterday," he said.

"Yes, and from what I've heard from the ANBU guards it was a very touching reunion," she said, as she winked at Naruto.

Naruto's face lit up more. He was on cloud nine. 'It wasn't a dream!' he thought. 'Sakura-chan actually said she loved me!' But another thought immediately appeared in his head and he looked down in sorrow.

Tsunade took note of this and looked at him in a very peculiar manner. She new, as well as everyone else, that Naruto loved Sakura with all of his heart and would do anything for her. "So why does he look so down?" she thought.

"What," said Tsunade. "Afraid now that Sakura loves you, Naruto, that if you do something stupid she'll hit you twice as hard?"

Naruto still looked down. "No, it's not that," he replied.

"Then what?"

"It's something that Sasuke said to me, right after I defeated Itachi, before anyone else came into the hideout."

"What," said Tsunade, now intent on hearing what Naruto had to say.

Naruto looked up at Tsunade, ready to speak.

Sakura's Apartment

Sakura awoke at 9:30am happier than ever. She felt as light as a feather. The day before she told Naruto that she loved him and it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders. She felt the happiest she had been in a long time.

She had stayed in Naruto's hospital room for the rest of that day as he slipped in and out of consciousness. She would have stayed in his room all night if the ANBU didn't tell her that she had to leave. She even could remember Naruto's last words after she kissed him good night.

'"Sakura-chan…come back tomorrow…and bring…some ramen."'

'That's Naruto,' she thought. 'Always thinking with his stomach.'

After she took a hot shower, she got dressed in her regular clothes and walked into the kitchen where she found a note from Ino.

_Sakura, _

_Got called out for a mission._

_Won't be back until tomorrow._

_There's no food in the fridge._

_BUY GROCERIES!!_

_Ino._

_P.S. you'd better tell me everything that happened between you and Naruto when I get back!!_

Sakura threw the note in the garbage. 'Damn it Ino!' she thought. 'I always have to buy groceries!' But there was nothing Ino could do to ruin this day. She was going to spend the day with the man she loved, and she hoped it would be uninterrupted. She locked the door to the apartment and made her way to Ichiraku's to pick up some breakfast for her and Naruto.

Naruto's Hospital Room

"I see," said Tsunade. "Are you sure you can convince her? She seemed pretty shaken up seeing you almost die right in front of her. And knowing her, I think I know where her mind is at right now."

Naruto looked straight into Tsunade's eyes, determination echoing through his. "I made a promise," he said. "And I intend to keep it."

'That boy,' she thought. 'will stop at nothing to keep a promise, especially one to himself.'

"Very well," she said. "I won't say a word."

A smile appeared on Naruto's face. As if to say thank you to Tsunade without saying it at all.

"Now," she said. "I really came in here to check on your injuries, and since you can sit up, your spine appears to be fine."

The Hospital front desk

Sakura entered the hospital with a takeout bag from Ichiraku's filled with ramen for her and Naruto. She walked up to the front desk and gave the receptionist her ID. After she received her ID back and got the notice to get past the ANBU, Sakura made her way to Naruto's room. When she gave her notice to the ANBU guard, he looked up at her.

"Alright," he said. "But you're going to have to wait just a few moments. The Fifth Hokage is examining him at the mo—"

Just as the ANBU had finished his statement, Tsunade walked out of Naruto's room, closing the door.

"Tsunade-sama!," said Sakura. "How did the examination go? Is he alright? Is he going to walk again? Is his—"

"Take it easy Sakura," said Tsunade, trying to calm the alarmed, pink haired kunoichi. "He's doing just fine. He can move his legs, do to muscle atrophy however, he won't be able to walk for a couple of days. His spine has appeared to have healed with no problems. His arms however, are both severely sprained. And the wound to his chest is still extremely tender, so he is on bed rest for the next few days." 'But considering his regenerative abilities,' she thought. 'I won't be surprised if he starts training by tomorrow.'

Sakura was happy to hear that the love of her life was ok, but she remembered Ino's note and Sakura didn't want to spend the night alone, still a little shaken up from what happened a few days prier.

"Tsunade-sama," she said, in a more timid voice. "Will you give me permission to stay in Naruto's room tonight? Just as a caretaker, more like a personal nurse?"

Tsunade looked at Sakura, as a teasing grin slowly crept upon Tsunade's face.

"What are you going to do," she said. "Play nurse and patient with him all night?"

Sakura began to blush like mad. She turned her back so that Tsunade wouldn't see her face.

"NO!," she replied in an angry and annoyed tone.

Tsunade finally got serious. "Are you sure you can handle this responsibility?"

"Yes Tsunade-sama," said Sakura now looking at Tsunade, seriously. "I'm sure."

Tsunade looked at Sakura with one more serious look and then sighed. "Alright," she said. "I'll alert the nurses to bring you a cot to sleep on. But just this one night, and you have to be on your best behavior. Just to make sure you understand, Naruto can't do any physical activity. His chest wound can reopen at anytime if his heart starts pumping too fast."

Then Tsunade put her mouth up to Sakura's ear and whispered, "That especially means you can't play nurse and patient with him tonight."

The pink haired kunoichi's face turned a shade of red that had never been seen before. Sakura froze with anger and embarrassment, but she was also a little disappointed.

"Understood," said Sakura, trying to regain her composure, let alone the complexion in her face.

"Good," said Tsunade in a playful manner. "Then from this moment on, Naruto is in your charge. Good luck."

As Tsunade walked away, Sakura felt comforted by the fact that she was going to be with Naruto tonight. She was going to be his guardian angel for once instead of him being hers. But one thing still haunted her, could she keep her feelings in check?

A knock at the door came. Naruto had a feeling who was there, but he was unsure of what he would do, what he would say. After waiting a few seconds, he finally spoke.

"Come in," he said, and as the door opened his guess was right. It was her, his vision of beauty, the love of his life, the girl with the cherry blossom hair. As the door closed they didn't speak, but it wasn't because they didn't want to, but because they didn't need to. Their eyes locked in the others gaze, never escaping it.

Sakura stood there, lost in his sapphire eyes, not wanting to leave their gaze. She felt warm, safe, nothing could harm her as she stared into his inviting eyes. Finally, she spoke.

"Hello, Naruto-kun," she said in a timid voice as she began to blush to no end.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," he said. His face and tone of voice were an exact mirror image of hers.

"I, brought us some ramen. I haven't had breakfast yet and I thought you hadn't either."

He paused. "Yeah, yeah I'm a little hungry."

She put the bag on the bed as she went to move the chair, but as she grabbed the chair she tripped over her own two feet. She gasped. She fell on top of him, with her head stopping in mid air, right in front of his. Their eyes met again, and this time there was no escaping each others gaze. Suddenly, they lost themselves in the moment.

His bandaged hand moved gently across her blush cheek as he moved her cherry blossom hair back behind her ear. Then he pulled her lips right onto his. His tongue, able to elude the guard of her lips, locked into an eternal battle with hers. Her breathing started to pick up as his tongue hit the sweet spot in the back of her mouth.

She broke the kiss. The two of them gasped for air, but he wasn't done as his infamous mouth went straight for her neck. Her eyes stayed shut, as if to make sure that the heat sensation in her body had no where to escape as Naruto's mouth climbed higher on her neck. When he made to the sweet spot of the joint of her jaw, her body tightened up as she let a pleasure-full moan escape her delicate lips. Suddenly a loud voice came from the doorway.

"Oh Please!," yelled Konohamaru. "This is a Hospital not a Hotel!"

Immediately the two lovers stopped. They looked into the doorway only to find Shino, Kiba, Hinata, and not so little Konohamaru sanding right in the middle of the doorway.

"Oh, by all means, don't stop on our account!," said Kiba, teasing the two lovers until they were almost dead of embarrassment. The two of them finally gained their composer and as the laughter began to die down they all sat down. All that is, except for Konohamaru.

"So, you must be feeling better boss," he said, slapping Naruto on the chest, inadvertently hitting the unhealed wound.

"OWW!," yelled Naruto. "Watch it Konohamaru! I'm not fully healed yet!"

"Whoops! Sorry Naruto-niichan. Maybe your not fully healed yet, but your healed enough to make out with Sakura-Nee—"

Just then Konohamaru took a fist full of Sakura right to the face.

"ALL RIGHT KONOHAMARU!," screamed Sakura. "WE GET THE POINT!"

"So when did you guys become an item," asked Shino.

The two lovers started to blush again. "Just yesterday," they both said in unison. They both began to blush and giggle even harder.

"That's great!," said Kiba. "We had a bet going to see when you two would finally realize you were perfect for each other.

"WHAT!?," yelled Naruto.

"Yup. And by the looks of it, it appears Hinata-chan won the bet."

"WHAT!?," yelled Naruto and Sakura, again in unison.

"Yeah," said the shy Hinata. "Shino owes me three free dinners, and me and Kiba-kun went double or nothing and he owes me three dinners and five dates."

Naruto was still in shock. "When did you two become an item!?"

"They're not," said Shino. "They're just testing it out."

"Anyway," said a light red Kiba. "On to a different subject. What is this, the fourth time you've almost died going after Sasuke and the Akatsuki? Are you sure that Kyuubi in you is a fox and not a cat?"

This statement resonated in Sakura's thoughts. Three out of those four times, Naruto had gone after Sasuke. Sakura then remembered the Tenchi Bridge. When Naruto went four-tail and it broke her heart to see him go that far just to save Sasuke. It hurt her so much that she was willing to get Sasuke back just for Naruto and not for herself, just to bring the Naruto she knew back to reality.

"Yeah Kiba," said Naruto. "You're right, but I never go back on my word."

Sakura looked at him in shock.

"I will bring Sasuke back someday. My word is my bond."

Sakura couldn't believe it. Even though they were in love, he was still willing to bring Sasuke back. No matter what. All she could think about was how noble he was, and how lucky she was to have him.

Kiba, Shino, Hinata and even injured Konohamaru all left at around 8:00pm, and Naruto and Sakura were all alone. Sakura was sitting next to Naruto on the chair, feeding him some ramen.

"Its so nice," said Naruto, with a mouth full of ramen. "To have you feeding me instead of Sai."

Sakura smiled and giggled, but her face quickly turned plain, as if it had become deep in thought.

"What wrong Sakura-chan?," Naruto said, putting a finger under her chin, moving her head toward his.

"Naruto-kun," she said looking deep unto his blue eyes. "Make me a promise."

"Anything Sakura-chan."

"Promise me you won't go after Sasuke anymore."

Naruto looked at her intently. "Sakura-chan, what do you—"

She put her finger over his lips. "Naruto-kun, it's obvious that he wants to just forget us, and he wants us to forget him. He is consumed in his own revenge and I feel that he will never break away." Tears started to roll down her face. "And the thought of losing you to such a tedious promise is just—"

"Alright, Sakura-chan," said the blonde shinobi, looking deep into her emerald eyes. "I promise. I won't go after Sasuke anymore."

With that, the pink haired kunoichi buried her face into his chest. Seeking comfort in his warm embrace, she found it and sighed. And she knew once and for all in this embrace, that she was his guardian angel, and he was hers.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- Nightmares, Decisions

Chapter 3- Nightmares, Decisions

Naruto found Sakura and himself in what appeared to be a cave of complete darkness. He could see nothing at first, then suddenly a shadowy figure with two read eyes appear in front of them. Naruto knew the two read eyes were no doubt those of the cursed Uchiha clan known as sharingan. He heard a familiar voice call to him from the darkness.

"You took away the one think most precious to me, Naruto Uzumaki." Sasuke stared at him, a look of death pulsating from his eyes.

"You took away my revenge!," he yelled. "But now I'm going to turn my revenge on you, Naruto Uzumaki. I'm going to take away the most precious thing in the world to you."

Naruto looked at Sakura and in a flash, Sasuke was right behind her. The blonde haired shinobi lunged for his love but something held his arms back. He was being tied down by threads of chakra that would not break.

"NARUTO-KUN!," she screamed, as Sasuke put his arm around her neck and prepared the Chidori in his right hand.

"NO!," Naruto screamed, horrified at what he knew was going to happen.

In one fast motion, Sasuke thrust his right arm into Sakura's back, piercing her heart and chest. She let out a cry filled with blood as blood flowed like a river through the gaping hole in her chest where her heart used to be.

Naruto stood there, unable to move, sobbing.

"No," he cried.

"NOOO!"

"SAKURA-CHAN!!," he screamed, lunging up crying and horrified by the nightmare.

Sakura was already up from the cot. She heard him screaming in terror and was trying to wake him.

"Naruto-kun," she said worried. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Naruto saw her face and feinted due to the shock of the dream. Sakura tried to wake him again.

"Naruto-kun," he would not respond. "NARUTO-KUN!!"

The ANBU guards ran into the room. "What is it," they yelled.

"GO GET THE NURSES!," she screamed, tears storming down her face like a monsoon. "HE HYPERVENTALLATED AND IS GOING INTO SHOCK!!"

The ANBU rushed out of the room looking for any nurses they could find. Sakura opened his shirt. Blood began seeping through his bandages from the chest wound. Sakura tried to calm herself down as she used a medical jutsu to slow down his heart and stop the bleeding.

'Don't you fucking die on me!' she thought as the tears kept streaming down her face. 'I won't loose you! No, not like this! Not when I can actually do something to prevent it!'

After five minutes, she sensed that the bleeding had stopped and his heart had slowed down. She began to calm down when the color came back into her lovers face. But she knew he wasn't out of the woods yet. When the nurses finally arrived, she told them that she had stopped of the bleeding and he was coming out of shock. She tucked a cover around him and held him tightly in her arms.

There she lay next to him, holding him, sobbing into his shirt, never letting him go. He could hear her crying. She became alert and lifted her head up as he began to move. He slowly opened his eyes and saw hers, tear-filled looking down at him. He lifted his hand to her face, wiping the tears from her tearstained cheek.

"Sakura-chan," he said softly.

"Naruto-kun," she said back, tears still streaming down her face.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!," she said as she pounded his right shoulder.

"Sakura-chan—"

"Don't you dare," she cried harder, unable to open her eyes.

"Don't you…Don't…" she began to break down. As he put his arms around, she started to cry uncontrollably. He put his hand behind her back, caressing it ever so lightly in an effort to calm her down.

"Shuu," he said softly, kissing the back of her head. "It's alright. It's alright. I'm ok. I'm ok."

As hard as she tried, the pink haired kunoichi just couldn't stop crying.

"Hey," he said softly, gently moving her back from his warm embrace. "Look at me. It's alright Sakura-chan. Open your eyes, for me."

As she finally regained her composure, she opened her eyes to the sight of his invitingly looking back at hers.

"See, now that wasn't so hard now was it?"

"What happened to you," she said, tears still rolling down her cheek.

"I had the worst nightmare I could have ever had."

"What was it about?"

He looked down in shame. "I…I can't tell you," he said.

She put her finger underneath his chin, and lifted his face to hers.

"Naruto-kun," she said, determination in her voice. "If we are going to have a relationship then you have to be honest with me. There can't be any secrets between us. Now tell me, what happened in the nightmare?"

He knew she was right. He had to tell her.

"Ok," he said painfully. "I'll tell you."

As Naruto spoke, all Sakura could do was listen. She listened to everything, about how Sasuke was now going to exact his revenge on Naruto, about how he was going to kill the most precious thing to the blondes heart. That's when the horrific thought hit her.

"That was what my nightmare was about," he continued. "The most horrifying thing that I could ever imagine…" he paused, "is having to watch you, the most precious and dearest thing to my heart, die right in front of me, and I can't do a thing to stop it."

Sakura put her hand over her mouth in shock. Tears began to roll down her face even faster than before. But she knew she had to stay strong. It took everything she had, but she maintained her composure looking down at the tear-soaked blankets.

"I guess, I just won't go on any missions anymore," she said.

Naruto looked at her, speechless.

"Sakura-chan…"

"It's alright. It's not like I'm much help to anyone anyway. I just get in the way all the time, and I'm just a burden to you and to everyone on the team."

"Sakura-chan," he said with intent in his eyes. "You've got it backwards."

Sakura's face shot up, her tear-filled eyes looking directly at Naruto.

"You're not a burden. Actually, you make me stronger than I can ever be on my own. Having you next to me makes me feel like I am stronger than anyone else in the world."

"But you're in here because of—"

"You're wrong," he said, more determined. "I'm in here because you kept me alive. "

Her eyes suddenly locked on to his in aw.

"I would have done the same thing for any of my other teammates, but I wouldn't have survived that hit if I wasn't blocking you. Since I was doing it for you, you gave me the strength to keep standing, to not lose consciousness until the last moment. "

Sakura started to blush as a smile finally returned to her tear stained face.

"Naruto-kun…"

"Make me a promise Sakura-chan," he said softly. "Promise me that you'll never leave my side in battle."

Sakura leaned into his arms. She looked up at him with her tears finally shunned from her eyes. She felt safe once again in his tender embrace.

"Ok," she said. "I promise."

Finally getting his answer, Naruto held his love tightly in his arms. There they lay on the hospital bed, never to be apart again, as they slowly drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Fantasy turned Reality

Chapter 4 – Fantasy turned Reality

"Finally, I'm out of here!," yelled Naruto as he leapt out of his hospital bed. He had been confined to bed rest for a week and a day, but today was the day he was going to be released. His time in the hospital wasn't all bad however. Sakura had come by to see him everyday, and today she was going to meet him in the lobby to spend the whole day with him alone. As Naruto's joy was getting the better of him, his door slowly opened and a nurse appeared.

"Good morning Naruto," she said. "Since you're being released today, I was sent up to give you back your personal belongings."

"Thank you," he said, coming back down to earth.

Naruto took his belongings which included his clothes, wallet, and his headband from the nurse. She walked out closing the door behind her. Naruto put on his orange and black pants, and jacket. As he finish tying the headband around his head, there was another knock at the door.

"Come in," he said, thinking it might be Sakura, but to his chagrin it was only her mentor, Tsunade.

"Well," she said. "It's time for your final check up."

"Ohhh," he groaned. "Tsunade-no-baa-chann, you already gave me a check up two days ago. I feel fine."

"I know I did, but I'm not releasing you from this hospital until you pass your final check up, GOT IT!?"

Naruto sighed. 'How much longer?' he thought. 'How much longer do I have to stay in this fucking hospital?!'

Hospital Lobby

'Damn it!' thought Sakura, losing patients waiting for Naruto. 'He's late! He told me to be here at 11:00am, and now it's almost noon! What the hell could he be doing in there!?'

Just then, she felt two arms wrap around her waist. She turned to see those same sapphire eyes staring back at her.

"Hey," he said with a smile on his face.

Suddenly, Naruto felt a painful slap smack him across the face.

"OWW!!"

"Where have you been," screamed Sakura. "You were supposed to meet me an hour ago!"

"Don't blame me! Blame that damn mentor of yours! She kept me in there for another hour for a final check up!"

"Oh, well then what was the final verdict?"

"I'm as health as an ox," said Naruto, kissing Sakura's cheek.

She started to blush. "Well then," she said. "I guess we should get the day started."

Sakura pulled out a picnic basket she had left on the chair beside her.

"Mmm," said Naruto, sniffing into the air. "Whatcha got in there?"

"You'll see," she said playfully. "But I forgot to get something to drink, so we're going to have to stop off at a market."

"Ok," he said, walking out of the hospital.

As they walked down the street, Naruto couldn't help but notice the dress that Sakura was wearing. The dress was black with cherry blossoms on it. It had a little bit of a low cut neck, and accentuated all the curves of her body with it ending just above her knee.

"Wow," he said. "You look amazing in that dress Sakura-chan!"

"I thought you might like it. "

He put his arms around her waist again, softly kissing her down her neck. "Do you know you drive me crazy?"

"Yeah," she said, with a mischievous smile on her face. "But before you can do anything about it, we have to get the drinks."

With a frown on his face, Naruto let go of his lovers' waist as they went into the market.

While looking at the drinks in the market, Naruto couldn't help but notice the store owner looking at him with a mean look on his face. As the couple finally decided on what they wanted, the owner walked up to them.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The couple seemed puzzled. "Why," asked Sakura.

"I refuse to serve that demonic freak of nature," he said, pointing at Naruto.

Both Sakura and Naruto knew what the man meant. Naruto looked down in shame, but Sakura was very angry by the man's statement.

"This man has risked his life for this village many times," she said, furious. "And you're refusing him business? How does that make any sense?"

"Look miss, I know you don't understand what I mean but – "

"No, I understand exactly what you mean! I know all about the nine tailed fox! And that it is sealed inside of him! But just because he's a Jinchuuriki doesn't mean he's not a person too!"

Naruto's head shot up after hearing what the pink haired kunoichi said.

"Sakura-chan…" he said in aw.

"This," she continued. "Is a noble, caring, grateful man that I love and would gladly give my life for to protect! So before making judgments about him, look beyond the fact that he's a Jinchuuriki, and judge him by his deeds!"

"Look miss," shouted the owner. "Even if that…that **thing** has protected the village with its life and has done great deeds, it doesn't change the fact that the thing inside of it took away my father, and my brother!! Now I have the right to refuse service to who ever the hell I want, and I tell you now, I will not give service to that demon!!"

"But that's just –"

"It's ok Sakura-chan," said Naruto, putting his hand on Sakura's shoulder.

Sakura looked back at him puzzled.

"But why?"

"He's within his rights, and if he thinks that refusing me service is a way of honoring his father and brother then I will respect that."

Naruto turned to the store owner and bowed his head.

"I'm sorry for troubling you."

Naruto then took Sakura's hand and they walked out of the market. Sakura shook her hand free and stopped. Naruto turned around to see her looking at him, puzzled .

"Why," she said. "Why did you take that from him? You don't deserve such treatment."

"I took it because some people will never change," he said. "Think about it Sakura-chan. If your beautiful words weren't enough to change his mind, then what else would have?"

She looked at him, realizing what he was saying.

"Some people," he continued. "Will never change. What matters to me are the people I have now. I would do anything for those people because I know they would do anything for me. I feel lucky to have people like Kakashi-sensei, and Ero-sennin, and the other teams –"

"Even me," she said playfully, putting her arms around his waist, pressing herself up against him.

"Especially you. If I didn't have you, I would only be half alive."

He put his arms around her, kissing the top of her cherry blossom hair. They could stay like this forever. Neither of them wanted to leave the warmth and sanctuary of the other. She looked up at him with a loving smile on her face.

"Ok, " she said. "I understand. I guess we could go to another store."

The two walked down the street hand in hand to find another market. Neither left the others side for a second.

After finally getting the drinks from a market, Sakura took Naruto by the hand and told him to follow her. Naruto seemed anxious to know where they were going, but he sighed and followed her out of the village and into the forest.

"Where are you taking me Sakura-chan," asked Naruto, jumping from branch to branch, trailing behind her for almost an hour.

"You'll see," she said. "We're almost there. You're gonna love it."

'Where the hell is it?' she thought. 'I know I'm on the right track, because I just found it yesterday. I know I'm close. It's gotta be around here somewhere!' Just then, a tree with five deep cuts in its bark caught her eye.

"There it is!," she yelled, as she stopped at the tree.

"There what is," ask Naruto, stopping right beside her.

"Don't you remember where we are Naruto-kun?

Naruto looked around the landscape. He saw a lot of tree that had a lot of new branches. He figured there was a battle here a few years ago. He looked down at the ground to see a huge crater that could only have been caused by something hitting the ground with extreme force.

"Nope, can't say that I do," he said.

Sakura looked at him as if he was crazy. 'How?' she thought. 'How could he not remember where we are?' Her train of thought was suddenly broken by a loud noise coming from Naruto's stomach. She saw him fall to the ground, exhausted by hunger. 'That's why he can't remember. He's too hungry to think of anything else but food.'

"Maybe," she said. "Your memory will come back if you eat some food Naruto-kun."

Naruto's face lit up to the sound of that idea.

"All right!," he yelled. "I can agree with that! What do we have for lunch?"

They jumped down to the ground and Sakura opened up the picnic basket. She then laid out a full spread of tempura, sushi, ramen, and teriyaki chicken. Naruto's eyes grew at the sight of all that food.

"Dig in," she said, as she handed Naruto some chopsticks.

As they ate the food that Sakura had prepared, Naruto began to realize where they were, and by the end of the meal, he realized why this place was so significant to his love.

"I remember where we are," he said, standing up. He helped up Sakura by taking her hands into his. "This is where I saved you from Garra."

"Yes," she said, with an inviting look in her eye. "I knew you could never forget this place."

"That tree," he said, as they jumped back up to the tree's branches. "That was where he was keeping you locked in his sand claw."

"Yeah," she said in a sigh, not focusing anymore.

Sakura found herself staring at the blonde shinobi. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. She knew she loved Naruto, but that wasn't why she was staring at him. As the light from the setting sun hit his face, he started to look different. He looked like someone else, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Then he turned his face toward her.

"The suns setting," he said, romantically. "Would you like to watch it?"

Sakura looked at him losing her train of thought, now focusing on what he said.

"Yeah," she said.

Naruto sat down on the tree branch leaning back into its trunk while he held Sakura in the warmth of his arms. They both watched the majestic sight of pink, orange, and red fill the early evening sky. Naruto remembered that day three years prior. He remembered one thing that remained constant in his mind that battle.

"Sakura-chan," he said. "Do you know what I promised myself that day?"

"No," she replied, looking deep into the setting sun.

"I promised I would protect you. That's what helped me win that fight. You gave me the power to go above and beyond my own limit that day."

Naruto's words affected Sakura deeply, and as she looked up at his face, she saw her love staring into the artistry of the painted sky.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan."

Sakura sat there in aw of how grateful he was of things she didn't even mean to do. She leaned more into him, as he began kissing her down her neck. Her breathing slightly quickened, feeling his love and tenderness in every one of his kisses. She pressed his arms closer to her chest. She looked up at him lovingly, staring deeply into his big blue eyes.

"You know," she said, in a romantic tone, with a mischievous smile on her face. "I never showed you my gratitude for saving me that day."

"You already did," he said, starting to blush. "By taking me on this picnic today."

"I know, but I want to show you more than just this. I want there to be nothing between us tonight."

Naruto was now blushing to no end. He had fantasized hearing those same words from Sakura, and now she was really saying them.

"Sakura-chan –" he said, before she put her finger over his lips.

"I've been thinking about this for a while now, and each time I think about it, I feel I can't withstand it any longer. I long for you Naruto-kun; your eyes, your touch, your kiss. Please don't make me wait any –"

Naruto interrupted her with a sweet kiss, pressing his lips upon her open mouth. His tongue coaxing hers into a duel. She wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him in closer. With out breaking the kiss, Naruto put one arm behind her back and one arm underneath her knees and stood with her in his arms. He broke the kiss so they could catch their breath. He looked deeply into her loving emerald eyes. He smiled down upon her as she snuggled her head into his chest. Naruto headed back towards the village as night started to fall with Sakura, snuggling up against him, in his arms.

When they reached Naruto's apartment, it was around 10:00pm. He let Sakura gently out his arms to open the door, but before he could even get the key out of his pocket, Sakura had already started kissing him. Naruto couldn't focus. He broke the sensuous kiss only for a moment just to unlock and open the door.

When they got inside, he took her face gently into his hands and kissed her softly. She replied the same way and they fell into a deep kiss. Their tongues working as if they were one in the same. His hands moved from her face to her back as he unzipped her dress. She moved her arms through the sleeves of the dress and let it fall to the floor leaving her only in a cherry colored bra and underwear covering her fit sexy body.

She broke the heavenly kiss and unzipped his jacket. He took his arms out of the sleeves and pull off his white undershirt revealing his fit upper body while she unbuttoned his pants. As his pants fell to the floor, only three pieces of clothing were between them. Sakura then wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing him deeply, as he carried her over to his bed. As Naruto gently laid her down, Sakura was able to untie his headband and threw it on the floor.

The light of the full moon captured both their bodies through Naruto's only window. They broke the kiss and looked at each others bodies for the first time. Sakura looked so beautiful in the moonlight. Her chest was full and looked so soft underneath her bra. Her legs were as smooth as silk and felt amazing wrapped around his back. Her abs were so fit and tight. Sakura looked at Naruto. She noticed his fine toned arms and his big broad shoulders. His chest was big and toned as well, but what drew her attention was the two scars. The first one she noticed was the one on the left side of his chest which happened a week ago, and the other on his right was from Sasuke three years ago.

"These scars on your body," she said softly. "These are your afflictions from your promises right Naruto?"

Naruto looked deeply into her green eyes as he nodded in agreement.

"Then if these are your afflictions, then from now on, I will be the cure."

As she woke up the next morning, Sakura still found herself in Naruto's tender embrace. She looked at her sleeping lover with the sunlight flashing right behind him. She began to stare at him the same way she did in the forest. 'Who does he remind me of?' she thought. As his eyes slowly began to open, it suddenly came to her.

"Hey," he said to his love.

"Hey back," she said, looking at him lovingly.

"How did you sleep Sakura? I hope my bed wasn't too uncomfortable."

"No, it wasn't. I slept fine. Especially after what happened last night," she said with a loving smile on her face.

Naruto began to blush. "I was hoping you would," he said softly.

Sakura then began staring again, this time with a smile on her face. Naruto blushed even harder, not knowing what she was staring at him for.

"What," he said shyly.

"Oh nothing. It's just that you look so much like the Fourth Hokage it's uncanny."

"Yeah, I get that a lot from Ero-sennin—"

Just then a knock came at the door. Naruto scrambled to find his pants. He put them on and cracked the door open. He saw a Jounin standing outside his door.

"Yes," asked Naruto.

"Naruto," said the Jounin. "I have a message from the Fifth Hokage. She says that Jiraiya-sama has woken up, and he has summoned you to be there as soon as possible."

Sakura looked at the doorway, covering herself with the sheet. She settled down a little after Naruto closed the door.

"Naruto," she asked. "Who was that at the door?"

"It was a Jounin," he said. "Apparently Ero-sennin has woken up and he wants to see me."

"What do you think it's for?"

Naruto looked down at the floor deep in thought. "I honestly don't know."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Sins of the Past

Chapter 5 – Sins of the Past

On their way to the hospital Naruto and Sakura stopped off at Sakura's apartment so she could change. It was 8:30am and Sakura was hoping that Ino would still be asleep. Sakura was wearing a pair of Naruto's pants and one of his jackets because her dress was dirty from the day before. When they got to the apartment, Sakura gave him a kissed him again.

"Wait here," she said, slightly blushing as they parted. "I'll be right back."

As Naruto waited outside, Sakura opened the door and slowly walked in. She looked around. The lights were still off.

'Phew!' she thought. 'Ino must be still asleep. I might actually be able to get in and out with out her knowing.' She tiptoed her way to her bed room, and as her hand reached the knob, the lights suddenly turned on.

"Sakura!," yelled Ino. "Where the hell have you been!?"

Sakura slowly turned to Ino, sitting on the couch in her blue pajamas, turning extremely red. She tried to say something but she was too embarrassed to come up with an explanation.

"And why are you wearing Naruto's clothes," asked Ino, a little puzzled.

Suddenly Ino's face turned red as she put the pieces together.

"SAKURA, YOU'RE NOT LEAVING UNTIL YOU TELL EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED!!"

Jiraiya's Hospital Room

It was around 10:00am when Kakashi arrived at the hospital room. Tsunade and Iruka were also in the room. They were all waiting for the former knuckle-head blonde haired shinobi.

"I assume we all know why we're here," said Kakashi.

"Yes," said Jiraiya, sitting up in his hospital bed.

"Are you sure we should tell him this now," asked Iruka.

"Yes," said Jiraiya. "The boy has a right to know. Besides, Minato would have wanted him to know by now. I know for a fact we are doing the right thing."

"This will be a huge shock for him you know," said Tsunade. "For him to finally learn the truth about his parents is going to be really hard for him to get pasted."

"True," said Kakashi. "But Jiraiya is right. This is something that the Fourth would have wanted him to know."

Suddenly, a knock came from the door. They all turned to the door, knowing full well who it was.

"Come in," said Jiraiya.

Naruto entered the room with Sakura right next to him. They looked around. Naruto wasn't expecting all of his former teachers, including Tsunade, to be there. He knew it was something important.

"Sakura," said Iruka, very serious. "We need you to wait outside. We need to talk to Naruto alone."

Sakura looked a little nervous after Iruka's comments. As she began to walk out the door, she heard a familiar voice speak.

"No," said Naruto, sternly. "If you ask her to leave, I'll leave too."

Sakura looked at him, in aw of his statement.

"Naruto, " said Iruka. "We need to speak to you priv—"

"Relax Iruka," said Kakashi, in a cool tone. "It's pointless to argue with him. Plus he's gonna tell her anyway after we're done here."

"Indeed," said Tsunade. "Alright Sakura you can stay. But you're going to have to stand by me and keep quiet."

"Yes Tsunade-sama," said Sakura. She gave Naruto a kiss on the cheek and waked over to Tsunade.

"Naruto," said Jiraiya sternly. "I'm going to ask you a very important question and I need you to answer me seriously."

"Ok," said Naruto a little puzzled.

"What do you know about your mother and father?"

Naruto looked at Jiraiya, nervous about the question. Naruto didn't like to talk about his parents. He never knew them and he was always a little angry about it. He looked down at the floor.

"Iruka-sensei told me," he said. "My parents died on a mission far away from a village. No one really knew them, but they were very skilled shinobi."

"Naruto," said Jiraiya. "Iruka told you that in order to protect you."

Naruto's head immediately rose. He stared at Jiraiya, confused.

"What I'm about to tell you," he continued. "Cannot leave this room. Your parents died the same night when the Nine Tailed Fox appeared."

Naruto's face now stared in shock and fear.

"Your mother," he continued. "Was Kushina Uzumaki. She was a ninja of the former Whirlpool Country. She was very skilled. The night of the attack, she died shortly after giving birth to a son, you Naruto."

Naruto eyes began to well up with tears. He began to grit his teeth, and clench his fist. Sakura could feel his pain. She felt so sorry for him. That he had to hear who they were, and how they died.

"Your father was Minato Namikaze, a member of the Hidden Leaf Village. He has been considered by many as the best ninja to ever come from here. That night, your father sacrificed himself to defeat the Nine Tails. He was my most gifted student, and Kakashi's teacher. You know him better as the Fourth Hokage."

Sakura's face lit up. 'I knew he looked like the Fourth!' she thought. She couldn't believe it herself.

"That's Gre—" she was about to say before she looked at Naruto. He was now sobbing. His hands clenched tightly with anger. She then thought of something grim.

'If the Fourth was his dad, then that means that the Fourth sealed that demon inside his own son. Poor Naruto, having to find out that his dad sealed that evil inside of him. He doesn't deserve this kind pain.'

Suddenly everyone in the room felt uneasy. They all began to notice the strong force of chakra coming from Naruto.

"Why," he said, strangely calm. "Why did you LIE TO ME!?"

With out warning, the Nine Tail's chakra shroud appeared over Naruto. With in the blink of an eye, Naruto had Iruka pinned to the wall, holding him up by his vest. His flooded red eyes piercing into Iruka.

"Naruto!," said Iruka, choking as the chakra scratched his face.

Sakura began to cry as she remembered the Tenchi Bridge, and Naruto in his four tailed state. Then her face went up in shock as she remembered something Yamato told her that day.

_"It's not a problem of big or small. What's important is the strength of the feelings you have for Naruto."_

She knew what she had to do. She dashed toward Naruto.

"Sakura, Don't—!," yelled Kakashi, but he was too late.

Sakura had already wrapped her arms around Naruto. Her arms began to scratch and bleeding as she latched on to her love.

"Stop this Naruto!," she cried. "Remember me? I'm the cure for your afflictions. I'm your Sakura. Please stop. STOP THIS NOW NARUTO!!"

The statements echoed in Naruto's ear. Memories of him and Sakura raced through his mind as if they were a blur. 'Sakura,' he thought.

Suddenly, the chakra shroud began to suppress itself; his eyes became their natural color. He buried his head into arms against the wall after he let Iruka down. Sakura was still clinging to him, her head resting on his back.

Everyone was in shock of the event that took place. 'Incredible!' thought Jiraiya. 'She was able to bring him back to his senses and suppress the chakra shroud.'

"Why," sobbed Naruto. "Why did my own father seal this inside me? Why did he make me go through all of this torment?"

"Because he knew you would become the person you are today," said Kakashi. "The Fourth had to put the Nine Tails into a person he knew would control the chakra and at the same time, have a pure heart not to abuse it. Naruto, your father knew you would become that person. He would be proud of you if he was here today."

"We also have reason to believe that the Nine Tails Fox was summoned to the Leaf village," added Tsunade. "Naruto, Sakura, this next part concerns your next mission so we will need you to listen up."

Naruto move his head from the wall, as Sakura let go of him. He was trying desperately hard to fight back the tears. He had let go of his rage but the sadness still lingered. Sakura saw this. She held his hand into hers to try to help sooth Naruto.

"We also believe," she continued. "That Madara Uchiha is responsible for the summoning."

"But I thought Madara Uchiha was killed by the First Hokage," said Sakura.

"He was," said Tsunade. "But we believe that he was somehow brought back to life by the Akatsuki. Your mission is to survey the Akatsuki, find out which one is Madara Uchiha, and Capture him. Team Gai will be your backup."

"This mission is a higher rank then S-rank," said Jiraiya, focusing on Naruto. "We wouldn't send the ANBU Black Opts on this mission because it's so important. This is a mission that the Hokage usually goes on. Naruto, do you know why we are telling you this?"

Naruto shook his head, as his tears finally subsided.

"Because you have been chosen to be Tsunade's successor. From this day forth you will carry the name Hokage."

Naruto and Sakura looked at Jiraiya in aw, both in disbelief. Sakura turned to Naruto. She could only imagine how happy he was inside, and how happy she was for him.

Naruto couldn't believe what he had just heard. His dream, everything he had worked so hard for, had finally come true. Everyone nodded as he looked around the room for conformation.

"Is this for really," Naruto said in sheer disbelief.

"It's true Naruto," said Iruka, picking himself up from the ground. "You have shown, time and time again, the qualities of what it takes to be Hokage. You've earned it Naruto."

"This mission could take months," said Tsunade. "But when you return, Jiraiya will teach you how to control the Nine Tailed Fox's chakra without your fathers seal."

Naruto looked at Tsunade, astonished at the thought that the seal would finally be removed, that he would no longer be marked.

"Is that clear, Naruto," asked Tsunade, with a smile on her face.

"Yes," replied Naruto, with an equally large smile. "Understood."

"Good, then Team Gai, Yamoto, and Sai will be informed of this mission as soon as possible. Dismissed!"

Naruto and Sakura bowed their heads to their teachers. As they walked out of the room, a voice rang out from inside the room.

"Naruto, Sakura," yelled Jiraiya. "The information that was discussed here today will be told to Team Gai, Yamoto, and Sai, but otherwise cannot leave this room. Is that clear?"

"Yes, "the couple replied.

"That goes double for you Naruto," said Jiraiya, sarcastically.

Sakura couldn't help but giggle at the way Naruto stared at Jiraiya for his comment.

"Ohh," groaned Naruto. "Come on Ero-sennin. I'm not a kid anymore."

As they left the room, Jiraiya could help but stare at Naruto, smiling and thinking to himself. 'Oh Minato,' he thought. 'Your son is full of surprises, but he might even become a greater Hokage than you.'


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Heading Out

Chapter 6 – Heading Out

As they walk down the hospital hallway, Naruto and Sakura had mixed emotions from the meeting they were just in; especially Naruto. He was happy to hear that he had been chosen to be Tsunade's successor and that he finally knew the truth about his parents, but a feeling of sadness still lingered; Sadness for the fact that his own father put this evil inside of him. Not only that, but to also know that his father thought so much of him the day he was born, that he would entrust Naruto with such a huge responsibility.

Sakura looked at him, knowing that he was in such a deep of thought. It troubled her to know that he was going through such intense emotional pain, and she felt that she could do nothing about it. However, she wouldn't give up that easily. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, catching him off guard and breaking his train of thought. She smiled and put her mouth up to his ear.

"Naruto Uzumaki," she whispered as she played with his blonde hair. "You are the most amazing man I've ever met."

A smile trickled onto his blushing face. "Why do you say that," he asked.

"Because you've taken so much physical and emotional pain all of your life and yet you're still able to rise above it."

Naruto looked at her, stunned and puzzled by her words.

"My only regret," she continued, in a more serious tone. "Is that I didn't see it sooner. Instead I just treated you like everyone else did. From the bottom of my heart, I'm so sorry for—"

"It's ok Sakura," he interrupted. "There's nothing to forgive."

She smiled at him as he smiled back at her. He put his arms around her and held her tightly in his embrace. She felt safe and warm in his embrace. She looked up at him with a playful smile on her face.

"I can't believe I'm dating the Sixth Hokage," she said, as she kissed his cheek. Suddenly a loud voice came from behind her.

"He's been named the Sixth Hokage!," yelled Konohamaru in sheer happiness. "I Knew It! I Knew He Would Be Named the Sixth! I Knew It!"

"Konohamaru!," yelled Sakura as she turned to Konohamaru. "You're Not Supposed To Know That Yet! No One Is!"

"And Ero-sennin thought I was going to yell it out," said Naruto playfully.

Sakura looked back at him, turning dark red with a combination of anger and embarrassment. "That wasn't funny," she said, giving Naruto an angry look.

Naruto became frightened by this look, knowing full well what usually followed after that kind of look.

"Yeah," he said to Konohamaru, trying to save himself from being hit by his lover. "You're not supposed to know that, so keep it down and don't tell anyone, ok?"

"Ok," said Konohamaru. "But you're going to name me the Seventh right Naruto-niichan?"

"Yeah," said Naruto, sarcastically. "If I don't name my kid first."

"What's that supposed to mean," said Sakura, with a little more playful look on her face.

Naruto turned extremely red with embarrassment and fear.

"Uh…well yah see…um…uh…??"

Sakura put her arms around his neck and kissed her lovers lips, putting him at ease.

"Don't worry," she said, playfully. "I'm not letting you go anytime soon."

"Come on boss," groaned Konohamaru.

"Konohamaru," said Sakura sternly. "We don't have time to talk about this, we have a very important mission that we have to get ready for."

"OHHH," he groaned again.

"Konohamaru, do you remember what happened about a week ago?"

Konohamaru thought for a minute, then went pale with fear, now knowing what she meant.

"Y-Yes," he said, frightened.

"Well, if you don't let us get ready, YOU'RE GONNA GET THE SAME TREATMENT TEN TIMES WORSE!"

"That goes double if you tell anyone about this," chimed Naruto.

"Gotcha, see ya boss," said Konohamaru. And with that, he sprinted down the hallway like a rocket, leaving Sakura and Naruto in the dust.

Sakura's Apartment

"And you can't tell me anything else about it," said Ino, suspicious.

"That's right," said Sakura as she packed for the mission. "Our team and Team Gai are going on a long, top secret mission. We could be gone for months."

"So if I go check Naruto's apartment at around 3:00am tomorrow morning, then you two won't be there?"

"That's right Ino!," replied Sakura, red with anger and embarrassment from Ino's comment. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't air out my 'Dirty Laundry' to the entire village!"

"Ok, ok, I get the point. Just do me a favor," said Ino as she knelt down to talk to her roommate.

"What?"

"If the mission is as dangerous as you say it is, comeback safe ok?"

Sakura looked at her, confused at first, but a smile slowly crept onto her face.

"Don't worry Ino," she said. "I promise I'll comeback safe and sound."

Sakura gave Ino a hug to reassure her best friend. A knock came from the front door.

"Don't worry," said Ino. "I'll get it."

She opened the door, and wouldn't you know, Naruto was at the door.

"Hey Ino," he said with a smile on his face. "Is Sakura ready?"

"Almost," said Ino. "Naruto listen, I just want to tell you, if anything happens to Sakura I'll—"

"Ino," he interrupted. "No one understands that more than me. I promise you, nothing will happen to Sakura, not while I can still breathe."

Ino looked at him. She could tell by the look in his eye that he was sincere. A smile of reassurance slowly came to her face.

"I know," she said.

Sakura appeared from her room.

"I'm ready," she said. "We should get going."

"Alright," said Ino.

She hugged Sakura as tight as she could. As she watched them walk out the door, Ino couldn't help but have an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. 'Comeback Sakura,' she thought. 'Comeback safe.'

Leaf Village Front Gate

When the couple made it to the front gate, Team Gai was already there waiting. They all stood up as they noticed Naruto and Sakura walking towards them, especially Neji. He remembered the Chuunin Exams, and his match with Naruto. He walked to Naruto and looked him right in the eye. Naruto was a little taken back by this, but he stood his ground.

"You were right Naruto," said Neji. "You were right all those years ago during the Chuunin Exams. No ones destiny is sealed. If you work hard enough, and train hard enough, you can always change your destiny."

Neji then extended his hand towards Naruto. Naruto was now in aw after knowing the impact his words had on Neji. A smile came to Naruto's face as he shook Neji's hand. As the two of them shook hands, neither of them notices Lee sprinting in, breaking up the handshake by tackling Naruto to the ground with a hug. Sakura and Ten-ten couldn't help but giggle.

"I knew you could do it," happily shouted Lee, as he shook Naruto violently. "I knew you'd never give up on your dream and now you have achieved it! This is so awesome!"

"Calm down Lee," said Gai. "You don't want to hurt him before the mission."

"Right! Sorry Gai-sensei!"

Gai and Lee both helped Naruto up from the ground. As he dusted himself off, Naruto noticed Sai, Yamato, and Kakashi walking towards the rest of the group.

"Congratulations on becoming the Sixth Hokage Naruto," said Sai with his trademark smile.

"Thank you," said Naruto.

"As much as I'd like to celebrate," said Yamato. "It seems we have a more pressing matter to attend to."

"Right," said Kakashi. "Has everyone been informed on the mission?"

"Yes," said all of the younger shinobi.

"Alright then," said Kakashi. "I guess we should head out."

As the two teams left the Leaf Village, only one thing was on Naruto's mined. One person had robbed him of the time he could have had with his father. One person robbed him of a normal life. 'I will to find you Madara Uchiha,' he thought. 'And when I do, I'm going to make you pay for sending the Nine Tailed Fox to my village. I swear it!'


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – A Painful Rematch

Chapter 7 – A Painful Rematch

Naruto awoke to the cooled damp misty air of the forest. He rubbed his eyes and looked up at the never ending gray of the overcastted sky. He felt something on top of his chest. He looked over to see Sakura curled up beside him, in her own sleeping bag, holding him tightly. He gently moved her head onto her pillow, as he slid out of her tender embrace to get up. He looked around the campsite to see that everyone was still asleep.

It had been a full month since they had left the Leaf Village, and they still had no leads on the Akatsuki. They had searched everywhere; every little town, every big city, even almost every country. Yamato and Kakashi, had been sending letters back to Tsunade, keeping her well informed on their position.

Naruto was on the brink of loosing his hope. Only two things kept him focused on his goal. One was the cherry blossom kunoichi that was always by his side, everyday reassuring him that they would find that trader. And the other was the loss of his father, now knowing who was responsible and why his father put the Nine Tails inside of him.

'Madara Uchiha,' he angrily thought, tightly clenching his fist. 'I will find you. I will stop you. You will pay.'

Sakura awoke to the sight of the blonde shinobi, standing with his back towards her. She heard him begin to cry with anger. She saw his hands clenched into tight fists. She knew he was in pain. She suddenly felt a strong force of chakra coming from him. She knew what was happening and immediately jumped towards him and wrapped her arms around her lover.

"It's ok," she said in a soothing tone. "It's ok. I'm here, your cure."

She could feel the Nine Tails chakra begin to suppress, as she gently caressed his chest and stomach. He tried hard to fight back his thoughts, so that his tears would go away. He would not show weakness in front of her, but his emotions got the better of him.

"Naruto," she said. "I can't imagine how much pain you're going through, but you don't have to keep it bottled up inside you. Please, please let your feelings out. Please let me in. Let me try to–"

"It's not fair," he interrupted in a half calm half crying voice. "This man robbed me of whatever family I had left. I promised myself along time ago that I wouldn't cry over the loss of my family anymore. But now that I know the truth…" he paused as he continued to shed more tears. "The pain is too overpowering. I can't fight it back anymore. I've never felt so alone in my entire life."

Upon hearing this, Sakura was almost to the brink of tears herself, but she new she had to stay strong. Not just for herself, but for Naruto as well. She could never remember a time where Naruto ever lost faith. He had never been this close to giving up on his hope. She turned him around and laid his head on her shoulder as she gently stroked his back. She began to whisper in his ear.

"Naruto," she whispered. "We will find him, and we will bring him to justice. This I promise you." Eventually everyone else awoke. They were all ready to begin another day hunting down the elusive Akatsuki.

Leaf Village

About a week before, Tsunade got the note from Kakashi telling her of their position. On that day, she decided to go for a walk. It had been a long time since she had seen any of them, so she tired to take her mind off of it by going to a Sake Bar.

As she walked down the streets on her way to the Sake Bar, Tsunade couldn't help but have a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She walked farther down the dirt street until she saw a tall tree. She stopped for a second not knowing why, until she saw nine leaves fall from the trees branches.

'This is a bad Omen,' she thought to herself. She immediately rushed back to her office, trying to remember what their coordinates were.

In the Forest

The two teams rushed through the many tree branches, searching for any clue they could find. Neji was now constantly using his Byakugan, constantly scanning the area, hoping to see something. Suddenly, something caught his attention. He stopped to take a second look, just to make sure.

"What do your eyes see Neji," yelled Gai. The rest of the two teams stopped immediately.

"I see two," he replied. "No three bodies to the north. Two of them are standing over the third body. They appear to be sealing something." He focused more to get a better look. "The two are of the Akatsuki!"

Naruto immediately ran north upon hearing this information. He wouldn't be stopped by anyone.

"Wait Naruto!!," yelled Kakashi, rushing after him. Everyone else immediately rushed after them.

'Your not getting away!' thought Naruto.

After about thirty yards Kakashi tackled Naruto to the ground just near the bottom of a hill. "Naruto calm down," whispered Kakashi, putting his hand over Naruto's mouth to keep him quite.

He looked over the clearing and gasped in astonishment. Pain and Konan were in deep meditation, sealing away what appeared to be Kabuto. 'Why are they sealing Kabuto?' he thought. Then he remembered. Kabuto had been able to harbor Orochimaru's spirit. 'And by the looks of it they appear to be almost done.'

The rest of the teams finally caught up to them. They all were concerned to know what Kakashi was thinking. But before Kakashi could get out a plan, they heard a deep voice call from the other side of the hill.

"Why don't you try facing us," said Pain in a calm voice. "Instead of trying a sneak attack."

The teams had no choice they immerged from the other side of the hill, knowing full well a battle was about to ensue. They stared each other down until Naruto, flooded with anger, broke the silence.

"Where's Madara Uchiha!?," he yelled, angrily staring at the Akatsuki leader.

"He is of no concern of yours at this moment," replied Pain. "You should be concerned about me killing you. You left me a very big scare on my chest that I need to repay you for."

Naruto gritted his teeth as he prepared for battle.

"Gai," said Kakashi. "You, Ten-ten, and Lee go with Yamato and Sai and take on Konan. Me, Naruto, Sakura, and Neji will take on Pain."

With in seconds, the Leaf Ninja split the two Akatsuki members. Gai and Lee tried to double Konan with two Leaf Hurricanes, but Konan blocked them both. She grabbed them both by their ankles and threw them to the ground as if she felt no pain. 'Im-impossible,' thought Gai.

Yamato tried to hold her down by wrapping her wrists and ankles with a wood justu, but Konan broke out of it by turning into origami butterflies, narrowly missing the tiger claws from Sai's justu.

She reconstructed herself in mid-air. "Is that the best you can do," she said, looking down at her opponents.

"Not even close," yelled Ten-ten, jumping high into the air undetected.

Konan facial expression immediately changed, as she looked behind her to see two scrolls fly open.

"Double Dragon Scattering Destruction!," yelled Ten-ten, as millions of various kunai, shuriken, knives, and blades fell from the sky. The other Leaf Ninja managed to get out of the way as the millions of weapons hit the ground.

"Massive Shadow Clone Justu!," yelled Naruto, as hundreds of clones charged at Pain. Using is fighting skills however, Pain was able to take them out in seconds.

Neji Charged him just after pain finished with the last clone, trying to hit him with an Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher attack. But using his Rin'nagan Pain dodged the attack, grabbing both of Neji's arms in the process.

"Your eyes are no match for mine," Pain said mockingly.

"They don't have to be," replied Neji. Pain looked up as he heard a voice yell right in front of him.

"Fire style: Grand Fireball Justu!," yelled Kakashi, shooting a huge fireball right at Pain just before Neji broke the hold.

Pain ducked out of the way, the gigantic ball of fire inches away from his face. He sensed another chakra source coming at him from his left. He narrowly spun out of the way of Sakura's fist, while knocking her down in one swift motion. He suddenly heard another voice yell from behind him.

"Rasenshuriken!," yelled Naruto, charging in with two other clones.

Pain jumped into the air, dodging Naruto's attack. With in seconds, Pain did a hand sign.

"Wind style: Cyclone Blow!," yelled Pain.

An intensive, massive amount of wind came crashing down onto the Leaf Ninja blow, destroying Naruto's last two clones and sending him crashing down to the ground in the process. Pain lands on his feet and immediately charged at Naruto, chakra already built up in his right hand. Sakura looked up from the ground, unable to move, to see Pain charging at Naruto. 'No," she thought. 'This isn't happening. I can't let this happen.' The tears started to well up in her eyes.

"NARUTO!!," she cried out.

Her cry echoed in his ear. Naruto quickly awoke to see Pain charging directly at him. He had no time to react. His eyes widened as the hit was only seconds away. He could see it in slow motion, yet he wasn't able to move fast enough. He braced himself for the hit.

All he could hear was the attack connecting with it's target, but he didn't feel any pain. Naruto opened his eyes to see that he was not hurt. He looked right in front of him to see a wall of sand protecting him. He heard a familier calm voice speak from behind him.

"I won't allow you to lay a finger on the future Hokage," said the voice.

Naruto looked behind him to see Gaara, Kankurou, Tamari, and two Sand Village shinobi standing right behind him.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Honor before Death

Chapter 8 – Honor before Death

Pain backed away from the sand shield he just struck. There stood the Kazekage with his brother, sister, and two other Sand Village kunoichi. The first of the two had long rose red hair and hazel green eyes. She was wearing a crimson red robe with a Chinese collar, and a black vest with a single shoulder strap, just like the Kazekage.

The other had short bold bright red hair coming out of the cat like ANBU mask with a cracked Sand symbol. Her blue eyes glared through the mask like a pair of cats' eyes glowing in the dead of night. She was wearing a shirt cut into the shape of a red spade with a red skirt and black shorts, covered up by a black over robe with a black cat embroidered in the back.

"Rukai," said Gaara at the first kunoichi. "Check on the other Leaf Village ninja and heal them if needed."

"Yes Kazekage-kun," replied Rukai, as she walked over to Kakashi. He was a little surprised at first, but she smiled at him to calm his nerves.

"It's ok," she said. "I was trained by Chiyo-ba-sama. I am an excellent healer."

Naruto stood up. He was a little confused about what just transpired. He was happy to see Gaara and his team, but how did they know where they were and why were they here?

"How did you find us," asked Naruto.

"The Fifth Hokage sent us a message," said Temari. "She had a feeling you would be in trouble, so she sent us your coordinates. We've been looking of you guys for a week."

"She filled us in on everything," interrupted Gaara, with a rare smile. "I had a feeling you wouldn't lose out to me, Sixth Hokage."

"As much as you two would like to catch up on old times," interrupted Kankuro. "We have a bit of a situation here."

Pain looked back; his expression never changing from eerily calm. He looked at them, plotting his next move.

"So you did survive the bijuu extraction," said Pain. "You shouldn't be as tough as you used to be without the Shukaku. Konan, fall back."

Konan reassimilated herself from the many pieces of origami next to Pain. Her face and arms cut up from Ten-ten's attack. Pain noticed two familiar sources of chakra coming towards them.

"What took you so long," he said.

"We had to come all the way from the hideout," replied Kisame, walking with Zetsu. "And besides, I thought you two would have been able to take these brats on your own."

"Looks like we have you out numbered," interrupted Kankuro, as the rest of the ninja prepared for battle.

Rukai had finished healing Neji and was about to heal Sakura, but Sakura refused it. "Are you sure," asked Rukai.

"Yes," she said. "I have already healed myself."

Rukai helped her up and they both ran over to join the battle. Sakura stood next to Naruto. He looked over to her, concerned about her.

"Sakura," he said. "Are you sure you can fight?"

"Naruto," she replied smiling. "I did train with Tsunade-sama. I'm stronger than you think."

Naruto smiled at her as he understood what she was saying. His facial expression immediately changed as he turned to face their enemy. 'Pain,' he thought. 'Your Mine.'

The four Akatsuki members charged at the awaiting Leaf and Sand ninja, splitting them up into separate groups. Pain took on Naruto, Neji, Gaara and Rukai. Konan took on Lee, Ten-ten, Yamato and Sai. Kisame went for Gai, the Sand Guard Ninja, and Kankuro, and finally Zetsu took on Kakashi, Sakura, and Temari. Naruto looked at Kakashi as if to tell Kakashi to take care of Sakura. Kakashi nodded to show he understood and put Naruto at ease.

Sai used his Ink Justu to make three lions and charged them at Konan. She turned herself into paper just before lions could hit her, but just as she did that, Yamato used his Four Pillar Prison Jutsu to hold her inside with the three ink lions. Konan escaped through the cracks of the structure and reassimilated herself on top of it. She had no time to rest however, as Lee kicked her right in the chin, forcing her high into the air.

As her body glided through the air, as Lee appeared right behind her.

"Get ready for my greatest technique," he exclaimed, as he wrapped himself around her body, spinning her violently down toward the ground.

"This is pointless," she said plainly. She began to change into origami, when she noticed Ten-ten already up in the air high above them. The two scrolls unraveled quickly as another round of kunai, shuriken, and other assorted blades fell from the sky. The expression on Konan's completely changed from calm to fear as she knew she could not escape.

The last thing she heard before she hit the ground violently was Lee's voice yelling, "Primary Lotus!!"

Kisame had just smashed one of Kankuro's puppets to pieces with his sword Shark Skin. Just as he was about to turn away, Kankuro launched the puppets head at Kisame, with a blade soaked with poison sticking out of its mouth. Just before he was about to attack the Sand Guard Kunoichi, Kisame swung his sword back behind to defend himself from the puppets head, then swung it in front of him to block the Sand kunoichi's kunai and sliding kick.

"Is that the best you brats can do," laughed Kisame.

Without a word and anger pulsating in her eyes, the kunoichi ran up his sword in a flash, flipping over his swinging arm and stabbed Kisame in the back with an exploding kunai. She spun in the air, making fast hand signs. She bit her thumb and landed with one hand on the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!," she yelled, and a gigantic tiger appeared. It jumped toward Kisame. But with in an instant, Kisame had already made his hand signs, making two water clones in the process. They blocked the oversized tiger.

"You've got to be kidding me," mocked Kisame. Just as he finished his jest, he felt a huge explosion of charka from behind him.

"The Sixth Gate: Gate Of Joy, Open!!," yelled Gai. He immediately charged at his enemy. Kisame tried to block, but Gai was too fast, kicking him high into the air.

Gai used his Morning Peacock technique as he let out an intense amount of punches into Kisame. They burned him as if they were shots of fire. The final blow sent him crashing down to the earth, creating a huge crater below.

Pain was able to doge all of Neji's Eight Trigrams 64 Palms attack. He grabbed Neji's arm and threw him to the ground as he sensed two more sorces of chakra around him. One was coming from behind him and the other was standing to his right.

He quickly used a Summoning Jutsu by summoning a huge lobster to hold off Gaara's sand coming towards him, while Rukai came at him with her Crimson Rose Whip. Pain wrapped the rose whip around his forearm, and sent Rukai flying to the ground. Gaara used his sand to protect her from the fall, and tried to get his sand around Pains ankles to hold him in place.

"Rasengan!," yelled Naruto, as he ran at the held down Akatsuki leader. But Pain jumped into the air, watching Naruto attack completely miss.

"Nice try," said Pain calmly, but something wasn't right. Then he saw the shadow clone with the Rasengan poof away. He looked around to find Naruto, until he heard a voice coming at him from above.

"You're Mine!," shouted Naruto, falling towards Pain with another clone next to him. "Giant Ball Rasengan!"

Pain had just enough time to block the hit by crossing both of his arms, but the blow was still powerful enough to drive him deep into the earth below. When the smoke cleared, Naruto saw a shattered piece of wood that should have been Pain. 'A substitution,' he thought angrily. He looked up to see Pain standing right there, staring at him. Naruto moved back and stood next to Neji, as both of them prepared to charge again.

Temari hit Zetsu with a huge gust of wind from her fan, trying to knock him into the air, but Zetsu embedded himself into the ground, as if he was taking root. As the wind hampered his vision, Zetsu could barely see Sakura running at him as she laid one of her chakra engulfed fist right into his face. However Zetsu closed the flytrap around his head to protect himself from the blow. Kakashi charged at Zetsu with his Chidori from behind, but at the last second Zetsu used two vines that came out from under the sleeve of his cloak and wrapped them around Kakashi's ankles, sending him flying into Temari, knocking them both hard to the ground.

He then flung Sakura back with three more vines coming from the other sleeve of his cloak. She skidded across the ground from the tremendous impact of the hit. She looked up to see all five vines coming at her at once with no time to react. She turned her head away and tried to shield herself from the blow. She could hear the vines wrap around something, but to her surprise it wasn't her. She looked up, and tears began to flood her face.

There stood Naruto, standing right above her with vines wrapped tightly around his neck, wrists, and ankles. She couldn't move; she couldn't speak at the sight of her love taking this agonizing pain for her. All he could do was look at her, trying to burn the image of her face into his memory as he slipped out of consciousness. The last thing he heard was Pain voice yelling, "Don't kill him Zetsu, we need him to finish our plans."

Zetsu complied with Pains request and began to pull Naruto's limp body toward him; that is until he met some resistants.

"I won't let you take Naruto!," yelled Sakura with tears still streaming down her face. And with that, she pulled Naruto over to her, almost yanking Zetsu out of the ground with him. Zetsu then pulled back, but Sakura wouldn't budge. It became a tug of war for Naruto's body. The other Leaf and Sand ninja tried to help Sakura, but they were cut off and distracted by the other three remaining Akatsuki members.

Sakura was fighting on sheer will power. 'I won't let you go,' she thought to herself. She could feel herself winning. 'They can't have you. They **won't** get you!'

Pain was in aw of this kunoichi's strength and determination. 'Unbelievable,' he thought. 'This girl is matching Zetsu's strength; she maybe even stronger.'

Each time she felt Naruto slip away, she would wrap her hands around his back tighter. She had blocked everything else out of her mind. She couldn't hear anyone else. She couldn't see anything else.

Memories kept running through her mind. His smiling face; her hands began to slip. All the times he had saved her before; she was slowly losing her footing. The night they spent together; her eyes opened with intent and determination.

"YOU CAN"T HAVE NARUTO!!," she screamed. She regained her footing and grabbed tightly onto his jacket.

She made one huge pull for Naruto, ripping him out of two of the five vines; along with Zetsu from out of the earth. Zetsu struggled to regain his footing. Pain saw this, he had to think fast. He knew this would probably be their best shot at the Nine Tails. His demeanor however, never changed from calm. With in a flash he summoned another lobster to handle the Leaf and Sand ninja, and within an instant had all ready made a familiar hand sign.

"Wind Style: Cyclone Blow Jutsu!," he said, and a huge gust of wind came crashing down on Sakura.

She held him tight as wind came crashing down on top of her. "I WON'T LET YOU GO!!," she screamed again, but all of her cries would be in vain as the unrelenting wind finally blew Sakura away with Naruto's jacket held tightly in her hands.

Sakura flew backward. Her head bounced off a tree and she fell face first into the earth. She fought as hard as she could to stay conscious, but the darkness began to surround her. 'Naruto," she thought before her whole world finally turned to nothingness.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – Living on Memories

Chapter 9 – Living on Memories

The nothingness surrounding her soon turned cold. All she could see was darkness. She couldn't hear anything, not even her own breathing, until she heard a soft voice call to her name. She turned around to see a small bright light peaking through the darkness. She heard the voice again, calling to her.

"Sakura-chan."

She recognized the voice. 'Is it really him?' she thought. 'Is it really—'

The voice called to her again.

"Naruto!," she screamed back, running towards the light. "Naruto!!"

As she ran towards the light, it began to fade away. She wouldn't let him get away. Running faster towards the light, she heard him call her name again. "Sakura-chan."

"Wait, Naruto!!," she screamed again, and she began to sprint as the tears began to flood her face.

The light turned extremely bright, and for a brief instant, she saw his smiling face. And then it was gone, and she was alone once again. She stopped running and fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands. "Naruto," she sobbed out, breaking down.

Her sobs were broken by another silhouette of light coming out of the darkness. She looked up to see the light shinning down onto a motionless body. She looked closer at the body that appeared to be Gaara. As she moved closer to it, the body began to change. The hair became a spiky blonde. She began to gasp as the clothes changed to a pair of orange and black pants and jacket. She finally stopped when the bodies face changed and the whisker marks finally began to show through his dead pale face.

Her hand was over her mouth and her eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Naruto," she called in a trembling voice. He would not respond. She knelt down beside him and shook his shoulders.

"Naruto," she said again as the tears began to run down her face uncontrollably. "NARUTO!!"

He didn't respond to her cries and in that moment, the emotional pain made her collapse onto his body, her hands gripping his jacket. She sobbed uncontrollably, not wanting to stop. "NARUTO!!," she screamed again, horrified by her lovers dead body.

"NARUTO!!," she repeated three more times, as she sat up in the lit tent. Her sobbing eyes were still closed, and her hand was still gripping his jacket from the previous battle. Rukai put her hands on Sakura's shoulders, trying to calm her down. She had been trying to wake Sakura up for the past half hour.

"Sakura-chan," she said, gently shaking her. "Sakura-chan wake up."

Sakura finally opened her eyes, still sobbing uncontrollably. She saw Rukai starring right back at her. She looked down and saw Naruto's jacket still clutched in her hand. Her face fell into her knees and she sobbed harder than before. Rukai put her arms around Sakura and tried to sooth her.

"He's always saving me," cried Sakura, through her sobbing. "He's always risking it all just for me, and for once, just for once I want to do the same for him."

"He's not dead yet," Rukai reassured her. "From what I've heard from Gaara-kun, it'll take a lot more than that to keep Naruto-san down."

Sakura started to regain herself and looked up at Rukai's smiling face. "Don't worry Sakura-chan," she continued. "We'll get him back, I promise."

Those words resonated in Sakura's mind. She looked at the jacket that she was hold. She could hear the words _I promise _as if they were calling to her from his jacket. She knew what she had to do and arose from the tent and walked into the campsite.

Yamato, Neji, Gaara, Lee, and Temari were the only ones still awake and were anxious to see Sakura emerge from the tent. She looked at everyone, then went straight to her pack and began to pack it.

"Sakura," said Yamato. "If you're thinking about going to save him, you're not going to be able to do that all by yourself."

"I'm not going to just sit around here and let him die," she replied.

"Sakura-san," said Lee, trying to be the voice of reason. "Captain Yamato is right. You are not going to be able to do this all by yourself. It will take everyone here to save Naruto."

"None of you are going to change my mind," she fired back sternly. "If you're not going to help me then stay out of my way."

"Sakura, be reasonable," said Temari. "There's no way we can do this without everyone's help. Please calm down and try to think rationally."

But Sakura wouldn't hear it. She was more determined than ever before. She finished packing her pack and put on Naruto's jacket. She stood up and began to walk away.

"SAKURA," shouted Yamato, freezing her dead in her tracks. "Kakashi has a broken arm from the last battle, Gai has two sprained knees, not to mention everyone else has their own bumps and bruises. We just can't go rushing into another battle. We need a plan. Look, we all care about Naruto, and I know how you feel and—"

"NO!!," angrily cried Sakura, turning around to reveal the tears streaming down her face. "YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY KNOW HOW I FEEL! HAVING YOUR JOY, YOUR HAPPIENESS, YOUR LIFE RIPPED AWAY FROM YOU IN AN INSTANT!"

Yamato tried to answer back, but he had no reply to the kunoichi's emotional words.

"WE WOULDN'T HAVE ABLE TO SAVE GAARA-KUN IF IT WASN'T FOR CHYO-BA-SAMA!," she continued, now shouting at Yamato with all of her fury. "WE WERE LATE WHEN WE GOT THERE! HE ACTUALLY DIED BECAUSE WE WERE DELAYED! THERE'S NO WAY THAT I'M GOING TO LET THE SAME THING HAPPEN TO NARUTO! UNDERSTAND!?"

Everyone was silenced by her words. No one could reply. She looked around to see them all with their heads held down. She knew she was right, but as she began to leave the only voice that could stop her, besides Naruto's, began to speak.

"Sakura Haruno," said Gaara, his voice paralyzing her. "You have every right to leave, and you have every right to do whatever it takes to save Naruto. If you want to go, I won't stop you. In fact I'll go with you. But I sent my ANBU kunoichi after them to track them right after the battle. If you will be willing to wait until morning, she will return and we will have a much better chance against our enemy."

Sakura looked down at the ground, contemplating his offer. "And what if she doesn't? Are we still going to save him in the morning?"

"I give you my word," he replied. "If she doesn't return by morning, we will go and save him."

Sakura didn't want to wait. She wanted to save him now. She wanted no harm to come to him, even if it meant that she lost her own life because of it. But she didn't want anyone else to lose their life for her decision. For this reason and for this reason only, she took off her pack and let it fall to the ground.

"Alright," she replied, crying through her tears. "I'll wait until morning."

At that moment she looked up at the full moon. It reminded her of that passionate night with Naruto only one month ago. She gripped the sleeves of the jacket and pulled them in towards her. 'Naruto,' she thought, her crying starting to subside. 'Wait for me.'

Akatsuki Hideout

"What do you mean we have a problem," said a voice.

Naruto awoke to the sound of voices. He could hear them talking for most of the night, but couldn't open his eyes because he was too groggy from the last battle.

"I mean the Jinchuuriki has to be unconscious for the extraction of the bijuu to begin," said another voice.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes. He looked around to see the damp cave walls of the hideout. He felt cold, but he didn't know why. He looked down to find that his jacket was missing. Not only that, but he was surprised to find himself strung up by chakra threads tied to his wrists and ankles. As he turned to his right, Naruto looked in aw at the sight of the huge statue that he remembered when they saved Gaara.

"Pain," said Konan. "He's awake."

Naruto turned to see Pain walking up to him. His eyes were now locked on to Naruto's.

"So," Pain said with a rare smile. "I finally have the great Jinchuuriki of the Leaf Village, Naruto Uzumaki. With that I also have the greatest of the nine bijuu, the Nine Tailed Fox."

Naruto turned his face away in utter defiance. Pain grabbed his face by his chin and held it close to his own.

"Do you know how much trouble you've caused me," he continued now in a more serious tone. "How many Akatsuki members have died at the hands of Leaf Village Ninja?"

Naruto didn't answer. He looked at Pain dead in his eyes with no fear. He was disgusted by the man, and showed it by spitting in Pain's face, causing him to turn away. Pain smiled as he wiped his face. He looked at his hand, and in one fast motion slapped Naruto across his face.

Witnessing the entire incident from the safety behind the rocks in the cave was the little kunoichi still hiding behind her cat like mask. When she saw Pain slap Naruto across his face she began to get angry, but didn't lose control of her chakra. If there was one thing this kunoichi prided herself upon, it was the fact that she could keep her chakra hidden.

"Is Tobi here yet," asked Pain turning his attention to Zetsu.

"No," replied Zetsu. "But he will be here by the morning. Until then, we should try to fix our problem."

"And what would that problem be," asked Pain.

"The Nine Tailed Fox," said Zetsu. "Has a strange form of chakra. It allows it's Jinchuuriki to regenerate very quickly and allows them to regain consciousness even quicker." "We need him to stay unconscious in order to extract the bijuu. "

"In short," interrupted Kisame. "As long as he's awake we can't suck out the bijuu."

"If I want your input Kisame," said Pain. "I'll ask for it."

Naruto laughed at the three of them, mocking them at how dumb they sounded. Pain heard his laughter and was angry at the boy, but he never showed it. Instead, he had another idea in mind.

"So you think this is funny," he said to the boy. "We'll see how much you laugh when I take a certain 'pink haired kunoichi' and murder her right in front of your eyes."

Naruto immediately ceased his laughter and grew angry.

"Oh, did I strike a nerve?"

Naruto eyes turned crimson red. He teeth turned razor sharp. He lunged his neck out at Pain, ready to rip him apart. Pain stood inches away from the boys face, mocking him and smiling at the young Jinchuuriki.

It was at this point that the kunoichi hiding behind the rocks couldn't take it anymore. She didn't know the boy who was being tortured but no person deserved this kind of punishment for saving the person they care about. The kunoichi got so angry that she did lose control of her chakra.

"Pain," said Konan. "I sense some unknown chakra here."

"What is it," said Pain a little concerned.

The kunoichi knew she lost control of her chakra and tried to regain control over it.

"I don't know," she said as it started to fade away. "It's hard to make out, but it's very similar to his." She pointed at Naruto, who was still mad as hell.

Pain looked around, and tried to sense anyone else's chakra. "No one else is here. You're just sensing the boy's."

The kunoichi gave a sigh of relief for not revealing he position and continued to watch.

"I think it's time we try to finish this kid off," mocked Kisame.

"I agree," replied Pain. "Zetsu, Kisame, choke him and hit him until he loses consciousness."

With that, Naruto felt a huge vine wrap around his neck, pulling his head back to choke him. 'I can't lose consciousness,' he thought. 'I can't quit.' Kisame began to hit him in the gut and after about ten punches, he hit Naruto so hard that it broke three ribs. Naruto felt the ribs crack and began to cough up blood. He closed his eyes to try to null out the pain. He felt his head get pulled back again by the large vine. 'Damn! This is it. I can't keep taking this kind of punishment.' As he began fall into the darkness, he remembered that night in the hospital, and three words sparked his memory.

"_Don't you dare!"_ he remembered. His eyes immediately opened and determination echoed through them. 'Sakura.' For the rest of that night Naruto took in all of his pain, with the thought of the woman he loved keeping him conscious. The young kunoichi couldn't watch any longer, fleeing back to the campsite for help.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 – Hope and Disappear

Hey guys! Just wanted to clear the air, I wrote this before One Last Breath and also before Jiraiya died from Pain so I didn't know that there were six Pain's at the time. I did finish it during the fight, just to let everyone know. I also didn't write a lemon because I'm not good at it. If anyone wants to make one for it, I wouldn't mind. Thank you for your understanding.

Chapter 10 – Hope and Despair

The sky became a dark orange and red like a fire waiting as it burns out. The sun began to rise, extinguishing all the shadow from the forest. It was greeted by a single kunoichi, who found no rest in the darkness of the night.

Every time she closed her eyes to find the sweetness of solitude, she saw him in pain. There wasn't much of a difference while she was awake. She knew he was in pain, she could feel it. The worst part of it was she didn't know what was going on. This was not the only reason that Sakura stayed awake however. She was searching for any sign of the Kazekage's recon kunoichi so they could finally rescue Naruto.

'Naruto, I won't let them kill you.' she thought. 'You'll be in my arms again soon.'

It was around 6:00 am; the sun had almost fully risen from its slumber and there was still no sign of the kunoichi in the distance of the forest. Sakura was now standing. Her pack slung around one of her shoulders. Her train of thought was broken when she heard footsteps come from behind her.

"Are you ready?" Gaara asked, keeping his promise he made to her the night before. Sakura turned to Gaara and nodded. As they were about to leave the campsite, a voice caught their ears from a distance.

"Kazekage-sama!" yelled the voice in the distance. Gaara looked around and saw the kunoichi far in the distance, jumping from branch to branch. He waited for her to get a little closer before calling back to her.

"Kimiko," he shouted. "Report!"

Kimiko jumped off the branches and landed, knelt at the Kazekage's feet. She took of her mask to reveal her deep blue eyes. "I followed them to their layer undetected. Naruto-kun was still unconscious when we first got there, however after tying him up in charka bonds, he regained consciousness. The Akatsuki have run into a small problem. From what I've heard, they need Naruto-kun unconscious in order to extract the Bijuu."

Sakura felt a little relieved by Kimiko initial report, but it wouldn't last as Kimiko's eyes began to fill with tears as she went into more detail. "They began to taunt him into using up more of his chakra," she continued, trying to dissolve her own emotion. "It didn't work, so they began to beat and torture him until he was out cold." She paused in-between her tears. "No should have to go through that for saving some precious to them. I couldn't watch it any longer and ran back here."

"Was He Unconscious When You Left!?" shouted Sakura, her eyes starting to well up with tears as she shook the kunoichi. "WAS HE!?"

"No(sniff)."

By now everyone else was up due to Sakura's yelling. "How long ago was that?" interrupted Kakashi. His arm was still in a sling from the last battle.

"It was about two hours ago."

"Then we have to leave as soon as possible. There's no telling how much longer Naruto can hold out."

"Kakashi, you and Guy are in no condition to fight," said Yamato. "Guy can barely walk and you can't move your right arm."

Kakashi looked at Yamato. He didn't offer a reply of words. Instead, he slowly moved his right arm out of the sling, cringing with pain after every movement. With one quick motion, he snatched a kunai from Yamato's pouch and held it up to his neck. Everyone now looked over, surprised by his actions. "The pain from injuries can heal in time," he said. "The pain of losing a comrade, usually never heals."

Sakura stared at her sensei, aw stricken by his words. Kakashi looked over to her. "Especially if that comrade is precious to you," he continued.

Sakura's eyes began to swell up with tears again. 'Kakashi-sensei,' she thought. She ran to her sensei and wrapped her arms around him in gratitude, burying her face into his chest. "Thank you Kakashi-sensei!" she sobbed.

Kakashi was taken back by his student's reaction, but he understood her pain. He himself had never fully gotten over his own teammate, Obito Uchiha, who sacrificed his own life to save Kakashi's all those years ago. He gently pulled Sakura out of her hug and looked straight into her tear-filled eyes. "We will get him back Sakura," he reassured her. "safe and sound, I promise." He then turned to the rest of the ninja in the campsite. "Pack up whatever you need and travel light. We're moving out."

Akatsuki Layer

Another fist came crashing down on Naruto's face causing him to spit up more blood which gathered into a small puddle on the floor. He lasted through the night without losing consciousness. He was bleeding internally and his face was a bloody mess. One of the punches was so strong that it knock his headband halfway across the cave. He had taken shot after shot, bone crushing blow after bone crushing blow, each time smiling at his punishers as if to ask them for another.

'Impossible,' thought Pain, amazed by the boys' stamina. 'He lasted through the entire night and he's still smiling.'

"God," said an exhausted Kisame. "I've done…everything I can think of… besides kill this brat…and yet he's still fucking conscious!?"

"Is that…all you've got?" heaved Naruto, spitting up more blood and smiling. "Sakura punches harder then you! She makes you guys look like sissies!"

"Why you little runt!" shouted Kisame. With that he delivered a punch so hard that it almost broke Naruto's sternum, causing him to spit up more blood, and his head to fall limp.

Kisame's fist left Naruto chest. He snickered at the limp head he began to walk away. He couldn't believe what he heard next. He turned around to confirm that the sound was actually coming from the young jinchuuriki. Laughter came from the boy as he mocked one of the seven swordsmen of the mist.

'Unbelievable,' Kisame thought, shocked at the boys' laughter. 'I put almost everything I had left into that punch, yet all he can do is smile and mock me.'

As Naruto's mocking angered the remaining Akatsuki members, Pain was relieved when he felt a familiar source of chakra enter the layer. "What kept you Tobi?"

"I was unable to find my target," cracked Tobi. "It seems one of the three ninja is very sensitive at sensing chakra."

"Forget the Uchiha for a moment," said Pain. "We have a chance to move one step closer in our plans and get rid of a pain in the Akatsuki's side. I need your clan's famous eyes to shut this boy up for good."

"I assume you are asking me to use Tsukuyomi on this boy? Who is he might I ask?"

"You should know him very well. He was the solution to one of your failed plans. This would be Naruto Uzumaki."

Tobi looked at the boy in shock and then in pleasure. "Aw, so this is the Nine Tailed Fox?"

Naruto had stopped his laughing and looked at the masked man with more anger, and more hate then he had ever had in his entire life upon hearing the exchange in words. "So you're Madera Uchiha?" Naruto said gritting his teeth.

"Well, I was getting sick of the name Tobi," he replied. "It's nice to know that people still know my real name."

"How did you survive?" demanded Naruto. "The First Hokage killed you all those years ago at the Valley of the End."

"I didn't. I was resurrected inside of another dead boy. He was freshly killed, and luckily for me, he was an Uchiha. I think Orochimaru told me his name was Obito. Instead of keeping my real name, I decided to give myself a new name to conceal my identity from the world."

"Why did you send the Kyuubi to the Leaf Village?"

The man laughed at this question. "Why else would anyone try to wipe out their former village. I wanted revenge. I wanted to be the one to destroy the 'precious' village that was built by the man who cast my body along the mountain side. Thanks to you and your father, my plans were thwarted. At least I got the satisfaction of taking down the legendary Fourth Hokage as a consolation."

Naruto was now filled with anger and rage, but he didn't have the strength to muster the demons chakra. He looked at the man, determined nonetheless. "Madera Uchiha, you will pay for your crimes. That is my promise to you."

"Pretty strong words from a boy who is about to be tortured by Tsukuyomi." With that, the single eyehole of the mask began to glow a dark red. With room began to spin in a swirl of black and red until it finally slowed down into a dark glow of red, leaving only Naruto and Madera left in the cave. Naruto was chained up to two a crucifix. He saw Madera walk toward him with a katana in hand.

"You will be stabbed continuously for the next four days." In that moment, Naruto was stabbed in the heart by the katana. He gave a shape cry of pain and then his world went black. He awoke again in this dimension, this time to see two Madera's, each with a katana. They both did as their predecessor had and stabbed Naruto until his world went black again. The process continued over and over, each time Madera double himself, each time stabbing the katana deeper into the boys' flesh; However, Madera noticed something he didn't expect.

By the time he noticed, there were five hundred and eleven clones finishing there stabbing of the boy. He looked up at the boy, mockingly behind the mask hiding his deformed face, but the expression changed to fear as the boy looked back at him, smiling at the pain that he was receiving.

At that point, Madera broke the overpowering genjustu, frozen in place as he heard the boy heaving. 'Im-im-possible,' he thought. 'How could he have been smiling after all of that?'

Pain looked at the now extremely tense Uchiha. "Tobi," he said. "How is he still conscious.

Madera looked at his comrade and leader, still shell shocked. "He-he was smiling. After all the pain I put him through…he was smiling."

Pain looked at his comrade in utter disbelief. He then looked at the heaving boy. 'How?' he thought. 'How is he that strong?' He couldn't wrap his mind around the idea. 'There has to be a way. There has to be a way to break his will.' For the first time, Pain showed signs of frustration, clenching his fist, the anger on his face, trying to think of some way to break him. His brain hatched a sinister thought. 'Don't' attack the man himself, attack his heart.'

He moved in close to Madera's ear and whispered. "Probe his thoughts," he said. "And then attack his heart."

Madera snapped out of the trance that he was in, and nodded in affirmation to Pain's request. He then locked eyes with the boy again, using his sharingan to probe Naruto's mind, finding what made his will so strong. "Aw," he said as he found what he was looking for. He unleashed Tsukuyomi on Naruto without braking his gaze.

In the new dimension, Naruto was again chained to the crucifix, but something was different. He lifted his head and was shocked at what he saw. There, chained to a crucifix across from him, the cherry blossom kunoichi that he loved. He looked down and saw Madera with the same katana as before. Seconds later, he plunged the katana into Sakura's heart, causing her to scream and writhe in pain. Naruto was beyond tears as the Madera repeated the action over and over, each time doubling his numbers.

Back outside of the genjustu, Naruto screamed and whined in horror as his mind was tormented and tortured. Until his mind and spirit finally gave out on him, his head and body finally fell limp as he let out one final scream. Then there was silence.

As Kisame and Zetsu checked Naruto before they began to release him from his bonds. Pain looked on, and when he saw his comrades begin to release him from his bond, he let out a rare smile of satisfaction. "Prepare him for the extraction."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – Old Habits Die Hard

Chapter 11 – Old Habits Die Hard

A limp body lay in between the two hands of the enormous statue. The same statue that held seven of the nine bijuu captive for all eternity, and it was about to receive it's eighth. As the remaining 5 Akatsuki placed themselves on the fingertips of the statue, two of them looked down and smiled at the limp unconscious blonde jinchuuriki.

'At last,' thought Madera, 'my revenge will finally be complete. Not only will I crush Konoha with this weapon, but I will destroy the only heir to the Forth Hokage.'

'Hmmm,' thought a smiling Pain. 'Smile for me now boy. Your life will soon be over and be nothing more than just a feeble memory.' "The time has come," he said addressing the rest of them, "to finish off one of the final missing pieces to our plan. Let us begin."

With that the mouth of the statue slowly opened as the scroll fell from it. Pain made familiar hand signs. "Sealing Jutsu: Illusionary Dragon Complete Seal of Nine!" Nine dragon heads flew out of the statues mouth, attacking and surrounding Naruto in what appeared to be a tightly wound ball. It smoothed out to create a transparent shield, revealing the helpless jinchuuriki raised above the ground, and the life force being sucked out of it.

'Two days,' thought Pain looking down at the boy. 'Two days and you'll be mine.'

Outside the Akatsuki Layer

Jumping from tree to tree, Kimiko led the team of Leaf and Sand ninja through the forest with Sakura, still wearing Naruto's jacket, almost breathing down her neck. It had been about two hours since they left the campsite, and Sakura could shake the feeling that something was wrong. Each second felt like an eternity to her, and with every passing tree the feeling grew worse. 'Where is this place?' she thought. 'Why haven't we found it yet?' She looked ahead to Kimiko hesitantly. "How far are we from the layer?"

"It's just ahead," she replied. She could see the huge bolder covering the cave. She jumped down from the branches and ran towards the bolder, along with the rest of the group. "I thought I left it slightly open. Someone must have entered after me. They must have resealed it closed."

"Then we have to see what traps await us inside," said Gai. "Neji, check inside with your Byakugan and tell us if there are any traps surrounding the bolder."

Neji first checked around the bolder intently for any traps. Much to his surprise, there didn't seem to be any. "There are none," he said. "They appear to be stressed for time and didn't place any."

"What's Going On Inside?" said Sakura worried. They had been standing outside of the layer and the feeling in her stomach wouldn't stop growing. "Is He Alright?"

Neji then checked inside the layer and saw the enormous statue. He looked in horror as he saw Naruto lifted from the ground, the life force seemingly being suck out of him. "It has begun," he finally stammered out. "We have to get in there now before—"

That was all he got out before a chakra filled punched whizzed past his head and landed directly in the middle of the bolder, followed by two leaf hurricanes from Lee and Gai. The bolder was reduced to rubble in an instant and the team of ninja charged into the layer.

The Akatsuki members noticed the destroyed bolder and turned to see the Leaf and Sand ninja enter the layer. Pain couldn't believe what had happened until he remembered what Konan told him the night before.

"_Pain," said Konan. "I sense some unknown chakra here."_

"_What is it?" said Pain a little concerned._

"_I don't know," she said as it started to fade away. "It's hard to make out, but it's very similar to his." She pointed at Naruto, who was still mad as hell._

_Pain looked around, and tried to sense anyone else's chakra. "No one else is here. You're just sensing the boy's."_

He knew he made a grave mistake but he didn't let it show. "Konan, Tobi (Madera), Kisame, and Zetsu," he commanded in a calm voice, "take care of these minor annoyances while I hold the jutsu."

All of the Akatsuki members sprang into action, splitting the team of ninja apart. Kisame was surrounded by Gai, Kimiko, Kankuro, and Neji. Konan took on Lee, Ten-Ten, Yamato, and Sai. Temari, Gaara, and Rukai took on Zetsu.

Tobi, however, tried to make a run for it. He almost made it to the open entrance before he was cut off by the legendary copy ninja. Kakashi held a kunai to the Akatsuki members' throat, forcing him to back away. "Madera Uchiha I presume," said Kakashi confidently.

The masked man lightly laughed as he looked upon the ninja standing before him. "Long time no see Kakashi," he said in a chuckle.

Kakashi looked at him puzzled. "I don't believe we've ever had the pleasure of meeting. How do you know who I am?"

Tobi let out another evil chuckle. "Let me ask you something, how has my left eye been treating you?"

Kakashi froze as he looked upon the ghost from his past. He almost dropped his kunai in shock of the man's question. He noticed the one eye-hole on the right side of the opposite ninja's mask. "No, th…that can't be…you're dead…I saw it happen."

"Orochimaru found my dead body underneath that pile of rubble and rock. He brought it back to life when he resurrected Madera Uchiha's soul into my body. This is the one fight I asked Madera to let me do on my own."

"Why? You were my friend, my teammate. Why would you allow yourself to be consumed by such an evil spirit in order—?"

"IF WE WERE FRIENDS WHY DID YOU LEAVE MY BODY THERE TO ROAT!? WHY DID YOU TRY TO STEAL RIN AWAY FROM—?"

"DON'T YOU DARE BRING HER INTO THIS!! SHE LOVED YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THIS LIFE!! SHE KILLED HERSELF BECAUSE SHE COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU!!"

"LIAR!!" shouted Tobi before finally regaining his composure and changing into his fighting stance. "This is how it's going to be Kakashi. Prepare yourself for death."

Kakashi, now fuming with anger, prepared himself for combat. "If this is the way it has to be," he said in an eerily calm tone, "then this is the way it has to be."

Sakura was able to escape the massive melee of combat and looked toward the statue. Looked in horror as she saw Naruto's limp body hovering off the ground, surrounded by a chakra shield. She looked around to see Pain standing on one of the fingertips, still holding the jutsu together. The anger grew inside her as she began to clench her fist. She charged at the Akatsuki leader, with her right hand engulfed in chakra.

Pain was still holding the jutsu when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He looked to see Sakura's right hand hit him directly in the jaw, sending sounds of his crushed bones into his ear, cracking as she applied more pressure with her connecting fist. Pain was sent flying into the cave wall, cracking it as he fell to the ground below. He couldn't hold the jutsu upon receiving the hit, sending Naruto down to the ground with a sickening thud.

Sakura jumped down to the ground, and cradled Naruto in her arms. Her eyes began to swell with tears as she looked upon his bloody pale face. She checked his pulse and was surprised when she found one.

Trying to keep her emotions in check, she began to check his eyes and noticed something very familiar about his present state. 'I know this.' she thought. 'This is the same state Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei were in all those years ago.' During her training, she specifically asked Tsunade to teach her how to treat this state of psychological damage.

She placed Naruto's head softly on the ground, and placed both of her hands firmly on his cheeks. She began to pump a massive amount of chakra into his body. However he would not respond. 'Come on Naruto!' she thought as she kept pumping more and more chakra into his body.

'Don't die on me! Remember me? The other half of your life. Your cure for your afflictions.' Tears began to run down her face, faster and faster with every thought. 'You have to pull through this! I won't lose you! I love you too much! Come on Naruto wake up!'

Her eyes widened as she felt a hand slightly brush the tears from her cheek. She looked into his eyes as they slowly began to open. He gazed upon her tear filled eyes as he was slowly brought back to reality. "Sa…Sak…ku…ra?" he whispered.

"Naruto!" she said heaving as she had exhausted almost all of her chakra. Just as she moved his hand from her face, a fist came running in catching Sakura in the face sending her flying.

"How touching?" mocked Pain, never losing his stride. Sakura flew into the wall with Pain left hand wrapped tightly around her neck before she could even hit the ground, with chakra built up in his right hand.

'This is it.' she though. 'This is the end. How could it end like this?' Pain looked into her eyes as she gasped for air. "This is the part where you die!!"

Sakura closed her eyes as Pain right hand came in for the kill. She had prepared herself for death, but the blow never came. She opened her eyes to see the attack stilled in place. She looked more closely to see a red chakra claw wrapped around his back and arms. She felt herself fall to the ground as Pain let go of her neck.

Then she felt it. The horrifyingly evil source of chakra coming from behind him. She looked behind him to see Naruto standing with the red chakra shroud of the Nine Tailed Fox engulfing his body. His wounds were almost completely healed and a second tail was about to form. "Sakura," he said as his eyes met her gaze. "Run!"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – Naruto's Rage; Sharingan vs

Chapter 12 – Naruto's Rage; Sharingan vs. Sharingan

"Sakura, Run!"

Those were his last words to her as the second tail finished forming, throwing Pain into the wall as he began to lose control. Sakura only looked on in horror as her attackers face hit the opposing cave wall with a sick thud. She quickly gathered her wits and tried to think rationally. It was then that she remembered the promise she made to him.

_Flashback_

"_Make me a promise Sakura-chan," he said softly. "Promise me that you'll never leave my side in battle."_

_Sakura leaned into his arms. She looked up at him with her tears finally shunned from her eyes. She felt safe once again in his tender embrace._

"_Ok," she said. "I promise."_

End of Flashback

"Naruto!!" she screamed. "I promised you! I'm not going to leave you, not again!"

Naruto turned and looked into her emerald eyes with his now crimson ones, and for a brief moment, she thought she saw a weak smile on his face. He quickly turned to block the right hand coming from his counter part, locked in a struggle for control over the battle, and over himself.

"After I weaken you," said Pain, "I'm going to make her beg for mercy in front of your broken body!"

Naruto's gaze quickly intensified; hurling his enemy against the wall with all of his might as a third tail slowly began to form.

Kakashi blocked another right hand from Tobi, ducking out of the way of his left, completely dodging the exposed kunai slashing at his head. He quickly grabbed Tobi's left arm and threw him over his shoulder, only to have him land on his feet.

With in an instant, they both made the exact same hand signs, yelling out in unison, "Fire style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Two massive balls of fire collided creating a horrendous flurry of flames, leaving both men shielding there eyes.

When the flames died down, both men were out of breath. "It seems you would have been nothing without my eye," mocked Tobi. "No wonder your nickname was the 'Copy Ninja'. It looks like that's all you can do, copy me. Just like the way you stole Rin."

"I already told you," said an infuriated Kakashi, pulling out a scroll as he bit his thumb, "don't bring her INTO THIS!!" He slammed his hands down to the ground. "EARTH TRACKING FANG JUTSU!!"

Instantly, the earth began to quake underneath them. Suddenly, eight dogs broke through the earth, ready to hold their target in place. Tobi would have been caught, if not for his sharingan, allowing him to dodge the ferocious dogs only by the skin of his teeth. "Truly impressive. You all most had me there. But don't take me as a fool."

Tobi then made his own hand signs. "Fire Style: Flame Dragon Jutsu!" A flaming dragon swirled around him, then headed straight for Kakashi. It hit Kakashi dead on, setting him in a blaze of fire. Tobi smirked behind his mask, until he saw the Shadow Clone poof away. 'No, that's impossible! How did I…'

"Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" he heard from behind. Tobi had mire seconds to react, dodging the massive ball of fire that singed some of the hair on his head.

Pain was some how able to make a substitution before hitting the wall, escaping the Jinchuuriki's massive claw. With the seconds he had left, he bit his thumb and made hand signs. "Summoning Jutsu!" within seconds, Naruto was surrounded by two other replicas of his adversary just as his third tail had formed.

Naruto struggled to keep control, becoming more and more primal with each passing second. His teeth grew sharper, his hair becoming more wild, and his eyes and whisker marks becoming darker shades of there respective colors. He then let out a huge roar of chakra, sending all three of the Pains flying through the air, only to have them land on their feet.

As the battle grew on, so did Naruto's inner battle to maintain control over the Kyuubi. It began to gnaw at his psyche. "**Come on Naruto.**" he sinisterly mocked. "**You need my power to defeat your enemy. Release this seal and I will empower with all of my chakra.**"

'No!' Naruto shot back. 'I won't let you out! I can do this on my own!'

"**But he threatened that human girl of yours. What will happen to her when you realize you do not have the power to save her?**"

Naruto looked down at the now pooling water her was standing in. 'I…I can save her on my own. I don't need you to take over.' He looked up at the demon more determined than before. 'I Won't Let You Take Over!'

The Nine Tails' anger grew quickly at the boys' defiance. "**LISTEN TO ME YOU RUNT! YOU WILL RELEASE ME FROM THIS INFERNAL PRISON NOW!!**" His tone became less angry and more of the sinisterly calm it was earlier. "**How are you going to live with yourself when you find her dead in your arms?**"

This struck a nerve inside Naruto's heart. He grabbed his shirt just above his heart and clenched it tightly in his fist. He looked down to see the level of water that was up to mid shin was now up to his waist and drastically climbing. "**Are you willing to take that risk? Will you be able to heal and survive if she dies?**" Naruto looked up at the Fox's crimson eyes with his deep sky blue ones. The water slowed up around his chest.

The young Jinchuuriki grabbed the two replicas in his mighty left chakra claw, covering both of their heads and hurling them into the wall with such impact it made the whole layer shake and quake. He held them pinned and struggling against the wall as he prepared a Rasenshuriken in his right hand as the real Pain came charging in. He was caught in a flash by the Rasenshuriken, taking the full extent of the damage into the chest, sending him flying into the wall. He couldn't hold the summon any longer upon impact, and the two replicas disappeared.

Sakura looked over at him smiling as the two replicas disappeared, but it was short lived as she looked over to see Naruto clutching his head, looking as if he was writhing in pain. "Naruto!!" she cried out as she quickly ran over to him. "Are You Okay? Here, let me heal you," but he was moving so much she couldn't get a hold of him.

"S—Sa—kura," he whimpered out in a half demon half human voice, "Go…get…Yamato." As soon as he forced out those words, Sakura knew what was happening. She backed away in shock as he threw his head back in pain. His eyes finally opened to reveal pale colorless white ones. Blood began to coat his body from the fur that began to grow out of his skin, and from the ill affects of the charka shroud. The fourth tail had finally formed.

The two Sharingan ninja battled back and forth, Kakashi mirror imaging Tobi, doing every jutsu his former teammate did at exactly the time with pinpoint accuracy. Both ninja both threw a right hand at the others head and caught it with there left respectively. The two struggled with one another to gain control over the battle. "As you said once before," mocked Tobi, "the Uchiha Clan are an elite clan of ninja…" he began to push Kakashi back. "and being apart of that clan, I'LL DEFEAT YOU TO PROVE IT!!"

The two jumped back from each other, making similar hand signs. "Fire Style; Phoenix Flower Jutsu!!" they shouted in unison. Both men then sent out bursts of flames at each other, crashing into the others attack and sparking on impact making a cloud of smoke between them. Tobi became frustrated and couldn't hold in his frustrations anymore. "STOP FUCKING COPYING ME YOU BASTARD!!"

Kakashi didn't smile in his usually mocking manner; instead he just looked over at the man before him, frustrated and angry at his former teammate. "Then Why Don't I Use A Jutsu From **Our** Former Sensei!!" he yelled as a swirl of chakra began to form in his right hand. In a flash he charged at his former teammate with the small sphere in his right hand.

'That can't be…' thought Tobi. 'I have to dodge it or I'm done for.' He jumped into the air seconds before Kakashi's attack would have made impact. "That was a nice try," he mocked at he dodge the attack, but it was short lived as he saw the Shadow Clone holding the Rasengan poofed into a cloud of smoke. 'What!? A Shadow Clone!? But how? Where…?' He got his answer when he looked above as the Rasengan connected with his back.

Tobi spit up blood into the inside of his mask from the pain of the attack that sent him crashing down into the earth. Kakashi landed just above him and grabbed him by the collar of his cloak. He looked into his enemy's eye, searching for some trace of his former teammate; of his former friend. "I was right, you were nothing like your father," coughed Tobi. "You're able to strike down your own teammate." Kakashi looked harder into his eye as he remembered that painful day; what his former teammate said to him.

Flashback

"_Fine then," said Obito, "from the beginning you and I were like water and oil. I'm going to rescue Rin!" He shoved Kakashi as he began to walk away. Kakashi shrugged him off, still obeying the rules and regulations of the mission._

"_You Still Don't Understand Anything!" he said sternly. "What Happens To Those Who Don't Follow The Rules…"_

"_I believe that the 'White Fang' was a true hero." Kakashi just stood there; in shock and aw of his teammates words. "Of course," he continued, "those in the ninja world who break the rules and regulations are called trash. But those who don't care about their companions are even worse then trash. Anyway, if I'm that kind of trash, I'll break the rules! If that's not being a true shinobi then I'll crush that idea of a SHINOBI!"_

_End of Flashback_

Ever since that moment, Kakashi adopted the motto "I will not allow my comrades to die! That is an absolute". He kept staring at his former teammate intently as his anger grew and grew. "No," he said, breaking the silence between them. "My teammate died that day. You're nothing more but an empty shell, and I will end this once and for all."

Tobi looked at him determined, knowing full well that this could be the end for him. "Fine Then!" he shouted. "If you're gonna kill me then go ahead; Do It! Get it over with. End It! Just remember that I will never forgive you for leaving me behind. Never forgive you for…for taking Rin AWAY FROM ME!!"

Kakashi looked away from his enemy in disgust. If his foe only knew how much he meant to her after that day; if he could have only known what Kakashi said to her after they left him behind.

Flashback

"_Rin…" he said, picking up his sensei's kunai that he had received just a few hours ago, "I'll handle these guys. While I'm doing that, escape."_

_She looked at him sorrowfully, tears starting to swell up in her eyes. "But…"_

"_I'll look after you for Obito," he interrupted, "Because of that; I'll protect you even if I die."_

_She sat behind him in utter shock and speechlessness. "Kakashi…!"_

"_Rin, Obito liked you…__**loved you**__. You were important to him. Because of that, I'll protect you through life and death."_

_Rin looked down, shaking after being affected to deeply by her teammate's words as the tears fell down her face. But she found the courage to finally come clean to him. "Then Kakashi! My Feelings…!"_

"_I…!" he interrupted again, "I was once the kind of trash that would abandon you." Rin looked down in disgust as she began to cry harder. The Rock Ninja began to descend upon the two young shinobi. "GO RIN!!"_

_End of Flashback_

"YOU'RE WRONG!!" yelled Kakashi at his adversary. His eyes now filled with anger and fury as he pulled him inches away from his face. "The Day You Died Was The WORST DAY IN OUR LIVES, ESSPEACIALLY HERS!! AFTER YOU DIED THEY CAME AFTER US!! I TOLD HER HOW YOU FELT ABOUT HER, AND HOW SHE COULD NEVER LOVE THE PERSON WHO ABANDONED HER!!"

He looked down in disgust at himself for his actions that day, his voice now becoming an eerily calm. "After your death, she was never the same. She refused to go on missions. She couldn't work at the hospital anymore because all she thought about was you. I tried to comfort her, but she never open up to me." He looked into his former teammate's eye again with more determination. "SHE KILLED HERSELF A MONTH LATER BECAUSE SHE COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU!!"

He made a familiar set of hand signs and held out his right hand and regained his composer, never taking his eyes off his enemy for a second. It began to chirp and spark as the chakra overflowed out of his hand. "But this is where it ends. And it will end with the only jutsu in my arsenal that I didn't copy. The one jutsu that you helped perfect. This ends NOW!!"

The four-tailed Naruto now looked upon his broken enemy. By this time a **fifth tail** was beginning to form, and Naruto maintained little control over the Kyuubi and was losing whatever control he had left. The jinchuuriki started to destroy and dismember the Akatsuki leader piece by piece.

He grabbed his left arm into his mouth and began to yank it out it's socket. Pain cried and yelled out in utter pain as the flesh around his shoulder began to slowly rip away. He heard a pop as the ligaments in his shoulder ripped and tore away until finally his flesh gave way and his arm was ripped off of his body. Blood splatter everywhere as Pain cried out in horror.

His right arm was the next target for the jinchuuriki and it followed suit in similar fashion. As the flesh gave way, Naruto let out a loud roar that was heard by everybody as the fifth tail finally finished forming. Naruto grabbed Pain by the chest and through his limp body against the statue with such impact, it caused the statue to crack. Pain fell to the floor with a sinking thud as his body was a bloody mess.

However the young jinchuuriki was not done. He picked up the limp body by the shoulder and back, and began to pull them apart. Pain screamed in agony as he felt his body begin to split apart. The bones that made up the Akatsuki leaders torso began to crack and break. The only thing now holding Naruto back from tearing the body apart was the man's flesh.

Pain let out one final scream before his body finally split apart, his internal organs and blood spilling all over the floor underneath him. Naruto let out another horrific roar as he held half of Pain's body in each hand. When he finally dropped the two pieces down to the ground, it was clear to everyone… Pain was dead.

Sakura was fighting her way to Yamato when she realized that the remaining Akatsuki members began to flee the layer. Then she heard it; the roar that Naruto let out was deafening. She covered her ears and looked back to see her love now in his five-tailed state. She looked in horror as he dropped the broken body to the ground. 'I have to find him now!' she thought and she ran frantically looking for Yamato.

She looked to her right and saw him looking in horror at the Jinchuuriki. "Captain Yamato!" she screamed as she ran toward him and tugged o his arm. He finally acknowledged her and looked at her worried.

"Sakura…" he stammered out.

"Captain Yamato, We Have To Help Him Now!"

"Sakura, I don't know if I can stop him."

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW!! ALL CARE ABOUT IS IF WE TRY!!" He looked at the young kunoichi. She was close to tears, but her expression was strong and determined. "WE HAVE TO TRY!!"

He looked at her dead in her determined emerald eyes that never wavered. He nodded to her. "Ok, but we'll have to work fast."

Kakashi steadied the Chidori his right hand as he raised it up into the air. "Forgive me…Rin," he said as he prepared to plunge it into Tobi's heart. Tobi looked behind Kakashi and saw the five-tailed Jinchuuriki destroying his leader.

Tobi saw this as his one shot for survival. "Well Kakashi, it looks like you have a choice to make," he said mockingly. Kakashi looked at him as he was puzzled by his enemy's words. "Kill me, or save your student?"

Kakashi looked behind him in time to see a five-tailed Naruto let out a bone chilling roar as he ripped the Akatsuki leader in half. 'Oh dear god no!' he thought. He looked back at Tobi only to see a puff of smoke dissipate from where his target used to be. He threw the Chidori deep into the ground in disgust at his actions, allowing his former teammate to escape. But he quickly regained his composer. He knew was his new task was…saving Naruto.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - Containing the Demon with In; Spiritual Escape

Chapter 13 - Containing the Demon with In; Spiritual Escape

Sakura and Yamato were almost at their limits. Twice they had tried to subdue Naruto in his five tailed state and both attempts failed. They couldn't figure out anyway to hold him down. Falling back far enough out of his range, Sakura was feeling more and more helpless.

"Captain Yamato," she said, "What should we do?"

"What can we do?" He replied. "We tried a sneak attack, we tried surrounding him. I don't think we can do anymore."

"GIVING UP IS NOT AN OPTION!!" she yelled. She couldn't give up on him; she **wouldn't**. He wouldn't give up on her. He always made her feel stronger. She knew what she had to do. Without saying a word, Sakura ran at her love with all she had left.

"SAKURA NO!!" yelled Yamato. He had to work fast. He clapped his hands together as he gathered up his chakra. 'I have to get there in time!' he thought. 'I have to!'

Sakura kept running toward Naruto. 'You have to come back to me,' she thought as the tears began to fall from her eyes. 'I won't leave you!'

As she came closer and closer to her love, the jinchuuriki turned his head towards her. She could see the pale, pupil less eyes land their gaze upon her. She did not stop. She was about five feet away from him when she noticed one of his tails move. She knew it was going to hit her, but she didn't stop. She **wouldn't **stop.

As the tail came down to strike her, she closed her eyes. Suddenly, she felt two arms wrap around her. The momentum of Kakashi's body tackled her to the ground, narrowly missing the massive tail. They skidded across the rocky floor until they hit the cave wall. She opened her eyes and looked up to see Kakashi on top of her.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?" yelled Kakashi, but she wasn't listening to him. She looked behind him and gazed upon the battle unfolding in front of her. Seeing the wood from Yamato and the sand from Gaara's gourd restrain Naruto; it was becoming too painful for her to watch. He was in pain, he was in emotional agony and she couldn't do anything for him in his present state.

"SAKURA!!" he yelled again, until he noticed the tears falling from her eyes. In that instant, he knew she wasn't looking at him. He knew she wasn't listening to him. He turned his head to see the sight unfolding behind him. In that moment, Sakura tried to break free from Kakashi, but he quickly noticed and held her back down. "NO SAKURA!" he shouted, but she kept trying to squirm free until Kakashi got a firm grip on her. "NO, No! Wait! Just wait a little longer."

Naruto roared as he tried to escape his restrains, but Gaara and Yamato held their own. Gaara was almost at his limit. "Captain!" he shouted at Yamato. "Hurry And Execute Your Jutsu!!"

Yamato nodded. He knew himself this would be their best shot at subduing Naruto. He made hand signs that created a seal in his palm. "Hokage Style: Force Retirement Jutsu!!" he yelled and charged at the jinchuuriki. With all the force he had, he slammed his palm into Naruto's chest. As he moved back, an extension of chakra was connected to his hand and Naruto's chest. The wood and sand restraining Naruto fell off and ten spiked pillars took their place; surrounding him in a circle.

The chakra connected to the jinchuuriki's chest began to absorb and suppress the fur and chakra surrounding his body. Slowly the young man underneath the shroud of fur and evil chakra was coming into view. He endured the pain of the suppression until only his human form remained. Naruto's limp body collapsed on the floor upon the jutsu's completion.

"LET ME GO!!" yelled Sakura as Naruto fell to the ground. Kakashi granted her request and Sakura ran to the bloody blonde on the floor. She checked his pulse just below his jaw and calmed down when she found one. She smiled and stroked his golden blonde hair. 'You're not leaving me that easily Naruto Uzumaki,' she thought as her hands began to glow a forest green. He whimpered and winced as she began to heal the blood and wounds on his body.

As the crowd of Leaf and Sand ninja looked down at the injured comrade, none of them notice the gigantic statue begin to crumble behind them. The sudden shock of movement from the floor below them startled the ninja, causing them to avert their attention to the huge statue.

As the face began to crumble, Kakashi noticed the first of the nine eyes crumble and fall to the ground. When it hit the ground, a stream of yellow chakra rose up from the rubble and tried to find an exit. Instead it headed straight into the open mouth of an unaware Gaara, causing him to fall unconscious.

"Gaara-Kun!!" yelled Rukai as she ran and caught Gaara from behind. She took his gourd off and gently set him on the ground. She was relieved when she found a pulse and began to check for injuries.

It was then that Kakashi had figured out what was happening. "THE STATUE IS CRUMBLING!!" he yelled. "THE BIJUU THAT ARE TRAPPED INSIDE ARE TRYING TO FREE THEMSELVES BUT THE ARE STILL SENSITIVE TO SEALING!! COVER YOUR MOUTHS OR THEY'LL SEAL INSIDE YOUR BODY!!"

Everyone understood what he was saying except for Kimiko. Kimiko could barely make out what he was saying from all the loud noise and raised her mask up to try to reply to him.

"What?" she shouted, but was cut off when a blue stream of chakra ran into her mouth, and she fell to the floor with her mask covering her face.

Sakura was just about finished healing Naruto when she heard Kakashi yell out his orders. She closed her mouth and Naruto's mouth and clung to his unconscious body on the floor as streams of chakra flew above them. 'Wait for me,' she thought, 'just a little while longer. We'll be out of here soon.'

The ceiling of the cave began to give way as the statue crumbled more and more. Rocks from the ceiling began to fall around the group of ninja. Yamato and Sai narrowly escaped one that fell in-between them. 'That was close,' thought Sai.

"Kakashi!!" yelled Yamato. "We Have To Get Out Of her Now!! The Whole Place Is Going To Collapse!!"

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Everyone," he shouted, "We Have To Get Out Of Here Now! Head For The Entrance Of The Cave And Run For Cover!!"

Everyone nodded and headed for the exit. Kankuro picked up Kimiko and swung her around his back and carried her out of the cave.

Rukai picked up Gaara by the arm and swung it around her neck. She tried to carry him on his own but she couldn't move fast enough. 'Damn!' she thought as she looked down at Gaara. 'I'm not leaving you Gaara-kun!' Suddenly, she felt another person take his other arm. She glanced over and saw Temari next to her with Gaara's other arm around her neck. She smiled at Rukai.

"Come on," she said. "We have to get out of here now." Rukai nodded and they both headed for the entrance of the cave.

Sakura picked up Naruto's limp body and put him on her back. 'Hold on Naruto,' she thought and she ran for the exit. As she ran, the layer began to collapse faster and faster. She looked up at the ceiling, and narrowly dodged a huge piece falling right for her and Naruto.

She could see the entrance coming closer and closer, but it began to close as rocks fell around it making it smaller and smaller. 'It's Not Going To End Like This!' she thought as she began to sprit faster.

Kakashi just made it out of the layer and looked behind to see if anyone else was left. He was in shock when he saw Sakura sprinting towards him with Naruto on her back. "Come On Sakura!!" he shouted. "You're Almost There!!"

Sakura was about five feet away from the entrance when she saw one final bolder falling from the ceiling. "WE'RE NOT GOING TO DIE HERE!!" she yelled and jumped for the small opening, barely escaping the layer before the bolder cover the last opening.

With Naruto on her back, she landed on her feet and slid about five feet from the sealed layer. Kakashi looked at his exhausted former student. 'Unbelievable,' he thought. 'That last burst of speed; she was completely drained of her chakra. There's no way she should have made it out of there.' His expression turned a little softer when she took the limp body off her back and knelt down, gently putting Naruto's head in her lap. She started to softly stroke his hair. 'There's only one reason why she was able to make it past that last bolder.' His gaze turned to the unconscious blonde in her lap.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked. They all tiredly nodded. He could see it; Kakashi knew they were all exhausted, and from the looks of Gaara and the unconscious Suna ANBU there was no telling how they would be affected by the bijuu sealed in their body. They all needed to rest. "Alright, then I think we will set up camp here for the night. The layer has been destroyed, and by the looks of the fleeing Akatsuki, it's alright to say they won't be coming back to fight us anytime soon."

Sakura smiled at the sound of that. Looking down at the blonde and for the first time in months, maybe even since he had returned to the village, she felt relieved. 'Do you hear that Naruto?' she thought. 'You're finally free. After all this time, all this suffering we've had to endure, it's finally over.' She gently stroked his hair and suddenly he winced. His eyes slowly began to open and finally, she felt the safety of his sapphire blue orbs once again. "Hey there sleepy head," she softly whispered to him smiling.

Naruto could barely move, but was able to move his hand up to gently caress her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. He gave her a weak smile. "Sorry…for…causing you…so much…trouble," he weakly replied. "Are…you…alright? Did…I…hurt you?"

She opened her eyes and looked upon his. Her emerald eyes spoke for her. They echoed the feelings of relief and caring into his. "No," she whispered back. "Honestly Naruto, you're going to have to stop underestimating me."

"I'll…be sure…to remember that…from now on." he then noticed something that brought a chuckle out of his mouth. "I…was wondering…where…my jacket went."

She lightly laughed. "Do you like? I think it's a perfect fit."

"Yeah, it…defiantly looks better…on you then it does on me."

She chuckled again. She hadn't seen him for only two days, but to her, it felt like twenty years. She looked deeply into his eyes once again; the safety and warmth she felt whenever she looked into his blue eyes were incomparable. She never wanted to be away from him again. Tears started to flow from her eyes. He noticed right away and began to wipe them away with his thumb. "Promise me you'll never leave again."

He smiled for her as big as he could, never taking his gaze away from her emerald eyes. "Never again Sakura; that is a promise I will never brake."

She nodded in reassurance and wiped the final tears away. He slowly sat up and took her face into his hands. He slowly brought his face closer to hers until their lips joined in a heavenly tender kiss. She slowly wrapped her arms around him and brought his body closer to hers, deepening this kiss further. As he brought his arms slowly around her, she knew that they would never be separated again.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – Questions that need Answers

Chapter 14 – Questions that need Answers

His eyes twitched as he began to awake from his dream. As he slowly opened his eyes to white ceiling of the hospital room, he realized that the sunlight was plaguing his face. He looked at the clock hanging on the wall at the front of his bed. '10a.m.,' he thought.

As he tried to move his bandaged hands to rub is eyes, he felt one of them tangled in something, in some what of a grip. He glanced down and a smile slowly crept onto his bandaged face. There lay a head of pink hair resting on a forearm lying on his hospital bed, as she lay slumped over her chair, with her right hand griping his bandaged left.

'So, she fell asleep here again,' thought Naruto as he lightly chuckled to himself. Slowly he stroked her pink hair, running his fingers through it ever so lightly, causing her to sigh as she slowly opened her eyes. "You should really go home," he said in a caring voice. "You haven't left this hospital in five days, and Ino's probably worried about you."

"Nooo," yawned Sakura, stretching her arms in the air. "She comes here every now and again to check up on me. " She smiled up at him as she looked into his sapphire eyes with her sleepy emerald ones. "You look like a mummy."

He let out a light chuckle. "Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself." He looked at her; captivated by her eyes and smile. "That can't be too comfortable. Sit up here beside me." She lazily left the chair and lay next to him on his hospital bed. She laid her head onto his chest, sighing as his arms tangled around her. "Are you on a break, or is your shift over?"

"My shifts over," she said as she snuggled up against him.

Naruto began to blush a little. "You know Sakura; you're the most important person in my entire life. I don't know what I'd do without you." He looked down a little nervous at what he was trying to say. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…I can't imagine what my life would be like without you with me." He took a deep breath and looked up. "Sakura, will you…"

As he looked at her, he could see that her eyes were closed. "Eh, Sakura? Sakura??" He shook her a little, but it was too late; 'She's sleeping?' he thought as he looked down with sweat dropping from the back of his head. 'Ah well, maybe some other time.'

As he stroked her pink hair, a blonde figure appeared in the doorway. "What The Hells Going—"shouted Ino.

"SHUU!!" interrupted Naruto sternly. "She's sleeping."

"Oops, sorry," whispered an embarrassed Ino. "I was just coming into check on her."

"Wait," said Naruto, as Ino was walking out the door. "Ino, you work at the hospital too, right?"

"Yeah, but not half as much as Bill-board Brow. Why?"

"Well, Sakura usually fills me in on how everyone else is, but she's sleeping at the moment. And since we haven't talked in a while, I was just wondering if we could just catch up."

"Sure," replied Ino, pulling up a chair as she walked back into the room. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, I was wondering how Gaara and that ANBU are doing? Have they woken up yet?"

"No, not yet. They are still in a coma from the last battle."

"Well, has Ba-chan figured out what's wrong with them yet?"

"Not entirely," replied Ino. "But Tsunade-Sama does have a theory. From what Kakashi-Sensei and Captain Yamato described, she believes that the Bijuu are battling with Kazekage-Sama and the ANBU's minds for dominance, since they weren't sealed traditionally. At this point, it's unclear what's going to happen."

Naruto looked down in anguish. "And there's nothing that Tsunade-no-ba-chan can do to help them?"

"At this point, no, it would be too hard to tell the difference between the two entities in each body. But there has been no change in there conditions, so it appears they are both at a stale mate."

Naruto became enthralled in thought. 'Why?' he thought. 'Why does everything bad have to happen to Gaara? It's not fair! He finally gets the chance to become normal, only to have it snatched away trying to help me!'

"Naruto?" said Ino as she waved her hand in front of his face, braking his current train of thought. "Hey, you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks a lot for talking to me Ino."

"Sure thing," she replied. As she began to walk out of the room, she stopped in the doorway. "Naruto?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for keeping your promise to bring her back."

He smiled and gave out a light chuckle. "You should know by now it's not in me to give up and go back on my word."

Ino looked at him and gave him a smile back. "Right. See ya later," and walked out the room.

Naruto began to stare out the window, becoming deep in thought.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," yawned a half-awake Sakura.

Naruto looked down at the smiling kunoichi snuggling up against him. He held her tight in his warm embrace. 'I hope you're right,' he thought.

Gaara's Hospital Room

The sun shown brightly through the window as a nurse check on the Kazekage. He cringed as she removed the already dried cloth from his forehead. She had not put it on but an hour ago, since she checked on him last.

"His fever hasn't reduced in the slightest," she said.

As she dipped the cloth into the bowl of cold water, a red haired kunoichi, with a rose, appeared in the doorway. "How is he?" asked Rukai.

"Well there is no change in his condition," replied the nurse.

"But it has been five days! Why is he still like this!?"

"I am sorry, but there is nothing more we can do, except wait until he wakes up on his own."

Rukai looked at Gaara's face in despair. "Would you like some time alone with him?" asked the nurse as she looked down at the distraught red headed girl.

Rukai nodded. "Yes please," as tear formed in her eyes. The nurse smiled at her as she left the room closing the door behind her. She sat in the chair next to his bed and began to speak. "Gaara, if you're in there, I need you to wake up. We're all worried about you."

As Rukai's emotions began to overtake her, Gaara could only hear a muffled cry as his battle with Shukaku raged on. **"I'm Taking Control Over Your Body Once And For All!!" **said the gigantic Ichibi, its massive claw swiped at the emotionless red haired teen. **"And That Annoying Cry From That Red Haired Bitch Will Finally Be Put Out Of Its Misery!"**

Gaara's anger got the better of him as he subconsciously let his guard down, allowing the massive claw to send him flying across the desolate desert regions of his mind.

The Kazekage staggered to his feet. "You won't lay a hand on her."

Gaara cringed in his hospital bed; the cloth fell to the pillow side. "Fight It!!" said Rukai, as she squeezed his hand with tears streaming down her face. "You Can't Give Up!!"

Gaara's sand shield barely protected him from the massive air-bullet, when he heard her faint plea far in the distance. "Rukai?" he said as an air-bullet collided with his back.

"**She can't help you in here," **taunted the demon. **"You are weak, pathetic with out me. And now, YOUR BODY IS MINE!!"**

All hope seemed lost as he heard a soft cry in the distance. "Suna needs you. Your family needs you. I need you."

His thoughts drifted back to his days of mindless thrust for blood, until he remembered his battled with the hyperactive knuckle-headed ninja.

_Gaara looked at the blonde shinobi in disbelief, as Naruto crawled toward_ _him by his chin. 'What?' he thought. 'That guy is dragging himself over here?' Anger swelled inside him. "My Existence Won't Be Put Out!" he yelled. "It Won't Be Put Out!"_

_The blonde's determination would not be deterred. This sparked an emotion that the troubled boy hadn't felt in a long time; Fear. "D…Don't Come Closer!" screamed Gaara._

"_What you must feel…being alone," said Naruto. "Being incomplete…What your pain must be, I understand that."_

_Gaara only looked in shock at the blonde's words._

"_But," he continued, "for the people that are precious to me, to be able to…The people that are precious to me… If you hurt them…and trying to kill them…I Will Stop You!"_

_The troubled boy looked in shock at his counter parts determination. "What the…Until now, for the sake of other people you've…"_

"_Because they rescued me from the hell of being alone..." Naruto interrupted. "They acknowledged my existence...That's why they're all most important to me…"_

_It was then that Gaara finally understood what Yashamaru was talking about. "Love? That's why this guy is so strong…"_

'Love, protecting others,' he thought. Suddenly Gaara's sand shield stood up, withstanding a massive air bullet barrage. "THAT'S WHAT MAKES YOU TRULY STRONG!!" yelled Gaara, as he went on the offensive. "YOU WERE JUST A CRUTCH, SOMETHING THAT I THOUGHT I NEEDED. But Its All Clear To Me Now…That I Didn't Need You AT ALL!!"

Sand sudden began to envelope the mighty demon. **"What!? This Is IMPOSSIBLE!! I, Shukaku, Am The Master And Demon Of The Sand!! YOU CAN'T CONTROL THE SAND!! YOU CAN'T CONTROL ME!!"**

"My name is Gaara of the desert. I control all the sand. If you are sand, then I can control you," said a calm Gaara, as the sand enveloped Shukaku's head. "Sand Imprisonment!!" he yelled. The sand surrounding the demon expanded, making the shape of a giant cell, imprisoning the demon of the sand.

It rocked and pulled on the bars of its cell of eternity. **"This is not over. I'll Find A Way Out!! I ALWAYS DO!!"** cried the Ichibi.

"Not as long as I'm alive," said the calm Kazekage, as he walked away, taking full control of his mind.

"**YOU GET BACK HERE!! DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME!! GAARA!!"**

He could hear her crying through the darkness. As he slowly walked into the light, it began to grow louder. The white ceiling of the hospital room gradually came into view as Gaara opened his eyes little by little. He turned his head slightly to see a distraught teen sobbing into his sheets as she gripped his hand with all her might.

"Why?"

Rukai's sobbing deceased as she shot up to meet his jade eyes.

"Why do you cry for me?"

A smile gradually crept on her blush face as the last of her tears quickly ran from her eyes. "Because I care for you silly."

"Care for?" he replied with an unusually rare smile on his face. "Or something more?"

She bit her lower lip and turned away in embarrassment. "Maybe…something… more…" she shyly whispered.

The trouble leader sat up, eyes slight widened in confusion. 'Is she…?' he thought. 'Can she really be…?' His hand clasped her chin, slowly turning it toward his face. "Are you…In love with me?"

Rukai's flushed face became a shade of red that had never been seen before. Even darker then the Kazekage's crimson hair. Her emerald eyes locked onto his jade. 'Oh my god!?' she sporadically thought. 'What do I say!? Yes!? Yes!? Yes. Yes! Yes!! YES!!' As her lips moved, the room started to get fussy. "Yyyee…" was she could get out before her world went black.

Gaara's sand caught her before she it the floor in her faint spell, setting her slumped into the chair; her head resting on his bed. 'That's alright,' he thought. 'I already know. You can tell me later.'

Hospital Hallway

"GET BACK IN BED!!" yelled one of the nurses chasing the child-like ANBU. "YOU'RE NOT CLEARED FROM THIS HOSPITAL YET!!"

"Cats Are Supposed To Be Free!!" yelled the young kunoichi as two cats followed their fearless owner. Kimiko ran up the wall and crouched upside on the ceiling with her chakra. "They Are Not Supposed To Listen To Anyone!!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON AROUND HERE!!" bellowed Tsunade as she walked down the hallway, seeing a group of twelve nurses and doctors (including Ino and Shizune) jumping up at the young girl on the ceiling? "THIS IS A HOSPITAL, NOT A THREE RINGED CIRCUS!!"

"You're Not _**My**_ Kage!!" said the blue eyed ANBU snidely. "Why Should I Listen To _**You**_?"

"Because I _**OWN**_ this hospital, and I _**PROVIDED**_ the care _**YOU**_ needed to get well."

The young girl just stuck her tongue out at the comment. "WHY YOU LITTLE…"

"Um? Is there a problem here Hokage-sama?" said a slightly frightened Kiba; making is way toward Naruto's room. Kimiko looked down to see Kiba's face. Blushing slightly, she lost control over her chakra and fell head first on the floor.

Akamaru caught a glimpse of one of the cats and began to growl, the cats hissed back at the large dog. "Hey!!" screamed Kimiko. "Get Your **Filthy Mutt **Away From My **Precious** Kittens!!"

"You call those **Disgusting** **Ally-Cats **precious kittens?"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"

"YOU HEARD ME!!" The two became enthralled in a battle words and fists. Tsunade chuckled to herself as she calmly walked over to the two ninjas. With two chakra enveloped fists, she knocked both Kiba and Kimiko into the opposing walls, knocking them both unconscious.

"Shizune," said Tsunade. "Check Kiba into a room in recovery wing. Ino, take the young kunoichi back to her room and **Strap Her To The Bed**!!"

"Finally," sighed Ino. "Some order around here. Hopefully I won't have to chase anyone else down the halls today." Her gaze slowly turned to Naruto's room.

Hokage's Office

It had been two days is the incident at the hospital. All who went on the mission were now healthy and well once more. Tsunade had called them all into her office to have there final mission debriefing. Kimiko was still rubbing her bandaged cheek, while Tsunade still glared her.

"Well now that everyone has been cleared to leave the hospital lets get down to business," she said smugly. "As you are all aware, the statue holding the eight bijuu crumbled to the ground."

"What? Really!?" exclaimed Naruto.

"Shut-up!!" whispered Sakura as she elbowed him in the gut. "I told that already."

"Yes, well as I was saying," continued Tsunade, turning her glare on Naruto. "When the statue crumbled, the eight demons were freed and were in a temporary spiritual state. As they escaped from the cave, two of the spiritual entities sealed themselves into the Kazekage and the young _**annoying**_ ANBU leaving us with two more Jinchuuriki in our mitts."

"Does this mean that I'm a bijuu?" asked said ANBU.

"No," said Kankuro. "That mean you're a _**Jinchuuriki**_."

"What does Jin…Jinch…Jin…_**What**_ _**does that mean**_?"

"It means…Um…Well," replied a confused Kankuro.

"It means that you are a container for a bijuu," interrupted Temari. "You're not the bijuu itself."

"But she said me and her would become one," replied Kimiko.

"You don't ever want to become one with it," said Naruto as he looked down sadly.

"But cats have never betrayed me before! Why should I listen to you _**Kitsune**__**Brat**_!!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOUR TALKING ABOUT!!" hollered Naruto, his eyes flashing red. Sakura saw this and tried to calm him down, but to no avail. "YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO LIVE WITH A BIJUU YOUR ENTIRE LIFE!! YOU WEREN'T BEATEN TO DEATH ON A DAILY BASIS, ONLY TO GO BACK TO AN EMPTY APARTMENT THAT WAS TORN APART BY VILLIGERS THE SECOND YOU LEFT!! EACH DAY COMING BACK TO THAT PLACE TO READ _'DIE KYUUBI BRAT'_ WRITTIN ON YOUR DOOR!!"

She stared at him sadly, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "AT LEAST YOU HAD A—"

"That's Enough Kimiko!!" said Gaara, standing in between the two ninja.

"But—"

"You don't understand Naruto like I do. He and I are the same. I might not be the Kazekage if it wasn't for him."

The young girl huffed and turned away pouting. "At least you had a home," she muttered under her breath so only she could hear it.

After that outburst, the office became silent as Tsunade continued. "On another note, we we're unsuccessful in capturing Madera Uchiha, but we have learned that he has three identities. The second would be Tobi, a name that Madera gave himself in order to keep out of the public eye. The other is the name of the body that he was revived in; Obito Uchiha. We have sent word to all of our allies and they will look out for anyone with those names.

"Even though we did not capture Madera Uchiha," she continued, "we did disband the remaining members of the Akatsuki and assassinated the Akatsuki Leader, Pain. This was extremely vital because in doing so we have prevented any further harm that could have been done to the three Jinchuuriki standing here. Overall, this mission was a success because even though we didn't complete the main objective, we completed many others with no casualties. If there are no further questions, you are all dismissed."

With a nod, the group of shinobi left the Hokage's office without a word. Tsunade lounged back in her chair. 'Eh,' she thought. 'Maybe now I can get some peace and quiet.'

Konoha Front Gate

The time had come for the shinobi of the Suna to take there leave and make their way back home. "Gaara, I don't know how to thank you for all your help," said Naruto, shaking his friends hand.

"You have helped me in countless ways," replied Gaara. "There is no need for anything, but a simple thank you."

"You will be back to visit, right?" said Sakura.

"Defiantly," said Kankuro.

"Yeah and I will be here for the next Chuunin exam," said Temari.

"Well," said Rukai, "it looks like we should be going. We have a long road ahead."

Naruto wrapped his arms around Sakura's waist, as the shinobi of the Suna began to walk out of sight. For the first time in a long time, the blonde shinobi felt like he was at peace with the world.

Konoha Front Gate (Three Years Later)

It had been three years since that day and much had changed in the great village hidden in leafs. Team Kakashi was broken up and Kakashi had gone back to work for the ANBU Black Opts. He said he had always missed his days as an ANBU, but he would have never changed his decision to become their sensei.

Jiraiya taught Naruto how to control the Kyuubi's power up to the five tailed state and almost all of Minato's Jutsus until his death one year before today from a painful disease. The great Sanin summoned Naruto to his death bed before he died and gave him a gift that he said Naruto would need when the time was right. _"I should have asked Tsunade this a long time ago, but now it's too late for that. I pass this book on to you. Don't make the same mistake I did."_ The book was his own personal thoughts on how to ask someone to marry them. Two days later, the great toad sage passed on. Kakashi honored the great sages request to him by continuing the _Icha Icha Paradise_ series.

Jiraiya's death was very hard on Naruto, seeing as how his sensei was one of the few people that would have been apart of his family if the Kyuubi never attacked Konoha. But even though it was hard on him, No one could have imagined the affect it had on Tsunade. The Sake Bar was her home for about a full month. It took an intervention from Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and Shizune to pull her out of her depression.

"_Do you think that Ero-sennin would have wanted you to be like this?" said the teary-eyed blonde shinobi._

_Tsunade looked down in shame and shook her head as tears started to form in her eyes. Shizune could see that she was about to brake down, and gave Tsunade her shoulder to cry on as they all slowly made their way back to the Hokage Tower._

After that, she became her former self. She went back to teaching Naruto the ways of the Hokage. Up until this year, Tsunade had been mentoring him almost day and night on how to deal with clients and how to determine which team would be best suited for which mission. She had announced that these last few months were going to be her last as the Hokage. For the past three years she fought hard with the council to appoint Naruto as the Sixth Hokage, and last month, November, they finally caved and agreed with her.

Naruto and Sakura's relationship couldn't be any stronger. Naruto had taken the Chuunin exams three years ago and past them with flying colors. In a matter of a year, he was promoted to Jounin and was given his own Genin team. He was given team seven, because he wouldn't accept any other number except that one. Naruto had gotten older and wiser since Jiraiya's untimely death. Sure he was still the hyperactive knuckle head they all knew, but around his students he was one of the most mature people you had ever met. Sakura was also promoted to Jounin and was named head of the nursing ward.

She had not told her mom that she and Naruto had been seeing each other and about a year ago, her mom had asked her to bring over the man that had stolen her daughter's heart. When Naruto entered the home however, her mom's personality changed. The argument that Sakura and the elder Haruno had lasted for hours until her mother gave her an ultimatum, choose her family, or choose _"that __**fucking Kyuubi Demon**__"._ She made her decision clear by leaving the house with Naruto, moving in with him, and not speaking to her mother since that night. Eleven months later, Naruto and his team was sent on a month long mission and they haven't been back since.

This brings us to today, as Sakura has waited by the Konoha Gate everyday for the past week, waiting for those sapphire eyes and that fox-like smile to come back to her. She has been told by Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki countless times that they will inform her personally when he arrives, but she would rather be the first person he sees. She closed her eyes for a second as she rest her head on the column of the gate.

She thought about his smiling face, his sensitive touch, and the way he could always make her feel better no matter how bad of a mood she was in. She thought she might have fallen asleep when she heard his laugh far off in the distance. Her eyes flashed open however, when she heard one of his students speak.

"Hey Naruto-sensei!" said Takana Inari. "Isn't that Sakura-chan waiting for us at the Konoha Gate?"

She smiled as Naruto focused on her, giving her one of his biggest smiles. "Yeah Takana," he replied. "But I don't think she's here to see you." He waved at her and she began to sprint towards him. When she reached him he picked her up and spun her around; his gaze never leaving his eyes. As they slow stopped spinning, their lips gradually move closer until they were locked in a deep kiss. Her hands intertwined around his neck as his hand made their way to the small of her back. They stayed locked in this moment; it felt as if time had stood still just for them. As there lips finally parted, Naruto continued to look deeply into her eyes. "Yup, she's definitely not here for you."

The little brown haired boy pouted in disappointment. The boy had grown very fond of Sakura since she had always come by the training ground to see his sensei. The ocean haired boy put his hand on Takana's shoulder. "Don't worry Takana," said Kenji Okinawa. "You'll find someone."

"He's right Takana-kun," said Tsuchi Nagamoto, slightly blushing.

"Of course he will," said Sakura as she knelt down to his height. "You'll find someone your age and make you very happy."

"I'll never find someone as sweet or as pretty as you," Takana replied.

"Yeah," said his sensei as they all walked through the gates together. "But then again, no one can be as lucky as me."

Naruto and Sakura's Apartment

It was around 1 a.m. when Naruto and Sakura finally made it back home. They had left Kiba's house about a half hour ago and decided to walk through the village. As they were walking, Naruto only had one question on his mind; How was he going to ask Sakura to marry him. He had tried many times before in the past three years, but it seemed every time he asked, someone would always come and interrupt the moment, or something would always happen that would always take her attention away from him. This time he was determined to ask her; no one around, no distractions. There was only one problem to his theory however, he had to stop kissing her, and that was impossible.

Gradually the kiss deepened as Naruto closed the door with his foot. His hands moved up her red blouse and underneath her bra as he pressed her up against the wall. She moaned in his mouth when she felt his touch, her hands wrapped around his head as his mouth fell to her neck. His other hand slowly made its way to her skirt and unzipped it from behind her. It fell to the floor leaving her in her emerald colored underwear. Her body writhed beneath him as he lifted her silky legs around his waist.

He leisurely lifted his head from her neck and lifted her red blouse over her head, throwing it to the floor like a leaf falling from a tree. She then unzipped his jacket and threw it to where there sandals were by the door. His black t-shirt and headband followed suite. Slowly their lips met again. She began to suck on his lower lip, begging for entrance. He granted her access and their tongues intertwined with each other; exploring the territory that was already so familiar. The blonde carried his cherry blossom over to their bed and laid her down gently on it. He removed his pants and they instantly became lost in the ecstasy of the moment.

The scent of burning toast awoke her from her blissful sleep. Her eyes slowly opened and she leisurely sat up in their bed with a white sheet covering her exposed body. 'Oh boy,' she thought smiling. 'I hope he doesn't burn down the apartment.' "Naruto," she yelled concerned. "Is everything ok in there? Do you need any help with anything?"

"Don't get up!" he yelled back from the kitchen. "I'm almost done with your breakfast in bed!" He slowly put the scrambled eggs on the plate to make sure that they didn't fall on the floor like last time. 'Everything has to be perfect,' he thought as he picked up the tray by its handles. 'This is it. Here goes nothing.'

She couldn't help but chuckle as he made is way into the bedroom with the tray of orange juice, scrambled eggs, and half burnt toast. He was nearly shaking since he was being so careful; making sure he didn't spill a thing.

Finally he put the tray on her lap and knelt down next to her bedside. "Eat up!" he said cheerfully.

As she began to eat her scrambled eggs she could tell he was looking at her very intently. She new something was up. Naruto was many things. One thing he wasn't was discreet. "What's going on?"

"Nothing!" he exclaimed, shifting his eyes.

She looked at him with a very scared look on her face. Slowly she looked back to the tray. She reached for the first piece of toast and within an instant; it dropped to the floor at the sight of the exposed ring underneath it. "Oh My God…" she heaved. Her gaze turned to the blonde on one knee next to her. "Naruto Uzumaki," she whispered in udder disbelief. "are you doing what I think you're doing?"

'Alright Naruto,' he thought. 'Here goes nothing.' "Sakura, for as long as I can remember, you have meant the world to me. You have grown more beautiful from the first moment I saw you, and you have always been the right girl for me. I've grown up without a family, and in truth I had no idea what it meant until I met you. From what I've learned, there is only one way to forge a family and that's through love, and we defiantly have a lot of that." He paused and took a deep breath, holding the ring in his left hand. "Sakura, will you marry me?"

She looked at him gently as hot tears began to form in her eyes. "How does this answer your question?" She leaned in and captured his lips in a soft, sweet, sensual kiss.

As they moved apart, Naruto looked at her lovingly. "I'll take that as a yes." She laughed as he took her left hand and placed it on her ring finger. Slowly they kissed again until a bright flash interrupted the couple.

Naruto and Sakura both looked over to see Konohamaru holder a Polaroid in hand. "KONOHAMARU!!" they both yelled in unison as Naruto began to chase him around the room.

Meanwhile, in a tree just out of the sight of the window, the red eyes of the sharingan focused on the bride to be through the window. The young man with raven hair looked at her intently. He smirked at the thought of what kind of torture he would put her through. "Naruto Uzumaki," said Sasuke. "The one thing in this world that is most precious to you, I will gladly take in an instant."

The rest of he Hebi looked at his back. "Sasuke," said Suigetsu. "Do we move in?"

Sasuke glanced over at him. "In time," he glanced back over to the window. "But not yet. Not yet."

"Not yet?" asked Karin. "But why the hell not!?"

"Because I want him to have some happiness," he then looked back at her. "and then have it come crashing down." Sasuke turned back to the window, and as the wind pick up, the members of the Hebi vanished with out a trace.


End file.
